Oklahoma City made a huge leap a season ago, from cute young story to legitimate championship contender. It’s one of the toughest jumps to make in the NBA, as a handful of teams with potential can’t make the leap. The Thunder cruised to the No. 1 seed and swept the Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs, but couldn’t outlast Dallas to advance.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been playing at the highest level for three years now, but this was the first time the Thunder had entered the fray. A large part of that attendance was Jalen Williams to step up to become SGA’s No. 2 option. A sophomore slump seemed inevitable after his wildly efficient first season in Oklahoma City, but the opposite happened. Williams continued his otherworldly efficiency by playing a larger role in the offense. His volume increased and his percentages rose.

In his second NBA season, Williams averaged 19.1 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the floor and 42.7 percent from 3-point range. He was the Thunder’s tough shooter and a fixture in the second unit when Gilgeous-Alexander rested.

Over his first two NBA seasons, Williams has only gotten better. Like Gilgeous-Alexander, he has used the offseason to make serious improvements. With two full seasons of data telling us that Williams is only getting better, it would be foolish to think that process will stop anytime soon.

In his exit interview with the media, he mentioned that he had picked several areas of his profession to focus on during the offseason, and while he didn’t give away any secrets, he seemed excited about preparing for next season. Will his additions be enough to make an All-Star leap?

He’s an outsider and there’s definitely a chance. Especially considering how much chemistry Williams and Chet Holmgren developed throughout the season. Williams developed into a dynamic pick-and-roll player and learned how to excel off a ball screen, throwing lobs to Holmgren and using picks to get straight to the rim. Next season, he will continue to build that chemistry with Holmgren, but will also have the services of Isaiah Hartenstein at his disposal. Hartenstein is one of the best screeners in the game and will provide even more space for Williams.

He has a loaded conference of talented players to compete for a spot, but as Oklahoma City gains more national attention, so will J-Dub. There’s a chance next year could be the year Williams makes the All-Star leap.

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