Coming into the season, it was largely expected that OKC Thunder forward Jalen Williams would take yet another impressive stride forward in his career and officially thrust himself into stardom.
17 games into the 2024-25 campaign, however, it's evident that even these lofty presumptions have already been exceeded.
In 32.5 minutes a night, J-Dub finds himself dropping career-best averages virtually all across the board with 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 52.3 percent shooting from the floor and 39.3 percent shooting from deep.
From his improved isolation game on offense to his ability to play beyond his size while serving as the club's primary pivot option amid their wide-spread injury woes, Williams has been playing lights out through these first two months of the year.
However, his most noteworthy play has come during Oklahoma City's most recent string of games, as the junior baller managed to make league history with his personal brand of production.
Thunder stud Jalen Williams enters NBA history books with recent play
Over his last four games played, Jalen Williams has been on an absolute tear, dropping averages of 28.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks while shooting a highly efficient 57.7 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from deep.
Now, on its own, this level of productivity is overwhelmingly impressive. However, what makes these numbers even more astonishing is the fact that he is one of only 11 players throughout the league's 77-year history to have registered 25 or more points and 5 or more assists on 50.0 percent shooting over this span before the age of 24.
Some of the headline names found on this exclusive list are Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, and Oscar Robertson.
Outside of Williams, there are only four active players who are members of the club (LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, and Tyrese Haliburton) while all who qualified received multiple All-Star nods during their respective careers.
Considering his stupendous play through this point in the season coupled with the fact that the OKC Thunder are atop the Western Conference standings with a record of 13-4, it seems the 23-year-old is destined to receive his first nod for the illustrious mid-season festivities this coming February.
This summer, Williams admitted to TI that he's looking to take multiple steps forward during his third year in the association. Now, as we make our way through the rest of the 2024 calendar year, it seems on track toward doing exactly that.
