Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams is one of the team’s most reliable players, but this aspect of the guard isn’t just a random development. In a story revealed by Mike Breen, we learned that William’s discipline is the product of his parenting. He said:
“William’s parents are Air Force veterans, he grew up in a house where obviously discipline was essential. He had to make his bed every morning and take care of his little brother.”
Breen then retold the story of how Williams’ mother taught him a lesson on discipline. “He remembers one time he was in school, he didn’t make his bed. He went to school,” he said. “His mom came to school, took him out of school, brought him home to make the bed, and then brought him back to school.”
Breen added, “He [Williams] credits mom and dad to that discipline equalling his success as an athlete. He said he’s so fortunate that his parents used to come to all his games. That’s wonderful support from the family.”
Williams’ discipline and consistency are nothing to scoff at. Although he has struggled to get going on the offensive end in the playoffs, the Thunder guard always finds ways to contribute.
Whether it involves getting the ball moving or simply locking down on defense through hard-nosed effort, the 24-year-old finds a way to come through for his team.
A contribution of 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists in Game 2 would certainly be considered consistent as the Thunder roll past the Pacers in a 123-107 win.
Jalen Williams Believes The Thunder Can Still Get Better
While speaking with ESPN’s Malika Andrews after the result of Game 2, Jalen Williams expressed that the Oklahoma City Thunder haven’t played their best just yet.
“I don’t think you ever want to limit yourself. We’ve done enough to win games, I think tonight we did enough to win games. But obviously, on the road, it’s definitely a different mentality. They came in and stole one here, so they’re definitely going back with a lot of confidence,” said the Thunder guard. “So we’ve got to be ready to really compete a lot harder than we did in these last two games.”
A dominant win in Game 2 certainly showcases some resilience on the part of the Thunder, particularly in light of the shocking result from Game 1. A key factor in Game 2 was the contributions of Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins off the bench.
Caruso and Wiggins locked down on the Pacers’ offense. Meanwhile, they managed to outperform the opposition as well, racking up 20 and 18 points respectively.
The game was put away by Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 34 points on the night, with eight rebounds and five assists.
OKC didn’t do much different from Game 1, other than stunting any attempts at a comeback made by Indiana. With the league’s best defense being put on display, the Thunder simply prevented any miracles from taking place.
