The OKC Thunder have a bright future ahead with Jalen Williams as an emerging star

J-Dub has earned the respect of general managers around the league.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has always been the star player for the Oklahoma City Thunder since he got traded to the team in 2019. Since then, the team has been looking for a player who could serve as the secondary star.

Internally, the team has no clear-cut second option, but the 2024/25 season can decide that Jalen Williams might be the right choice. He was already promising in his first two NBA seasons, but general managers around the league feel he is the breakout star for the upcoming campaign, in the latest survey .

The results of the GM survey

Jalen got 13% of the votes from GMs in the league. That is a good number, especially with the number of promising players in the league. J-Dub only had a slim margin of victory over the second-placed player, a three-way tie between Evan Mobley, Ja Morant, and Victor Wembanyama.

Getting that kind of distinction over star talents like that shows Williams is ready for a breakout season. He proved he was a legitimate starter, and Coach Daigneault wants to keep building a versatile system that benefits players like Dub.

J-Dub is a good breakout candidate

Now that Jalen will play in the small forward position, he will have more touches and opportunities to use his skill set. He was restricted to being a hybrid forward, so playing in the paint limited his impact. Since Chet Holmgren is moving to power forward, J-Dub is playing a more natural role, and he will be thriving more as a perimeter threat.

After averaging 19.1 points on 54% from the field and 42.7% from beyond the arc, there is still room to grow. Williams has the path to stardom because he has barely cracked his full potential, as he still has more to learn as a scorer. At the same time, he has constantly improved his defense, as he must use that 7’2” wingspan to his advantage.

The OKC Thunder are filled with breakout candidates

OKC’s roster is not just reserved for Shai and Jalen because the team has some potential stars. The best candidate outside them is Chet Holmgren. The lanky big man has the skill set to be a go-to scorer, but he shines mostly on defense with his speed and reaction time.

There are even more star-level talents on the team, with Cason Wallace and Nikola Topic being viable options. This is a testament to how general manager Sam Presti has done a great job constructing the roster. They have a productive squad for today and huge potential for tomorrow.

Related: Is J-Dub ready to win a major award in 2024?