FOTO: Sports Illustrated
This content is taken from an article by Marc J. Spears for Andscape, translated into Italian by Marco Marchese for Around the Game.
The 2019 ESPN 100 is a list that includes several of the names that are currently receiving the most media coverage during the Playoffs. The list includes talents of the caliber of Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Maxey, Cole Anthony, Jaden McDaniels, Isaac Okoro, Precious Achiuwa e Jaime Jaquez Jr. One of the names not present in that list, but who is currently proving to be one of the major talents on the launching pad this post-season is the multi-purpose Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Considering his unexpected path in the NBA up to the present time, it is clear that Williams is proud of what he has shown, but that his goals are still far away.
“It’s almost a mental journey, due to the speed with which everything happened. It’s hard for me to describe in words, but everything that happened was crazy, starting from the year affected by Covid and the weirdness of it, and then the way I reacted with the performances the following year in Santa Clara ; I landed in the NBA right after, and it was all crazy. And now everything is still going at a very high pace, having reached the Playoffs.”
“I consider it a blessing, a divine miracle, and I thank God for all this. But at the same time it’s also hard. Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at how far you’ve come and how far you’ve come. But it certainly was a mental journey, just because of how quickly it developed.”
Jalen Williams
Jalen Williams was born in Denver on April 14, 2001, and at the age of 7 his family moved to Phoenix. His parents, Ronald and Nicole Williams, are two veterans of theUS Air Force, who met at the academy playing basketball. They served inUS Air Force for 24 years, with missions in South Korea, Japan and Germany – for The Oklahoman. The Thunder coach, Mark Daigneaultbelieves that Jalen inherited the value of an everyday work ethic from his parents.
“He comes from a family of army veterans, in a family background full of discipline. Her parents were two hard workers. Currently they still work, and drive an hour to get to work. I’m a father too and I know what that means. I admire and learn from Jalen’s self-awareness. He has a really solid foundation, built on the way his parents – two really good people – raised their children. But it’s clear that they gave them their space as they grew up.”
“So his self-confidence really impresses me. This is not something anarchic or artistic: he is deeply disciplined, a hard worker and easy to train. Furthermore he is a formidable teammate. Jalen is a guy who was raised this way and with these values, and he pushes the limits of everything he does.”
Mark Daigneault
PHOTO: Andscape.com
Williams built his reputation on the Oklahoma City Thunder roster through his self-confidence, and he credits his parents for having a high opinion of his means and resources.
“My mother is a much more talkative person than me. With both my brothers the most important aspect was to be at peace with yourself. Both of my parents always told me I was special. And it was the same with my brother and sister: it’s something we inherited. When parents give so much trust to their children at a young age, it is difficult to shake it.”
Jalen Williams
During his time at Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona, Jalen Williams grew an impressive 8 inches between his sophomore and senior years. In the 2018/19 season he scored 25 points per game – when he was “only” 1.92 m tall. And the award received of Chandler Unified School District Player of the Year 2019 it wasn’t enough for ESPN’s radar. At that time he was the 9th ranked talent in Arizona, however 247Sports. And, without any offers received, she decided to settle at Santa Clara University. Under coach Herb Sendek he scored 7.7 points in his freshman year. At that time, there was little to suggest that one day he would reach the NBA, but the turning point came in the following 2 seasons, when his playing style evolved, deserving the nomination in the NBA.All-West Coast Conference selection twice. Williams averaged 18 points and 4.1 rebounds on 41% from beyond the arc during the 2021-22 season – his junior year. His name was included among those eligible for the Draft with one more year at his disposal.
“J-Dub and Herb Sendek were a perfect match. The development, trust and support given to Jalen by Coach Sendek was exactly what J-Dub needed. Jalen was allowed to develop his own style of play, and now the results are showing. He is proving to be one of the best talents in the NBA.”
Bill Duffy – Agent of Jalen Williams
Williams was not considered a great prospect ahead of the 2021/22 season, but on the occasion of the 2022 draft the Oklahoma City Thunder decided to bet on him with pick #12. Within the Thunder-universe, Williams was not considered a “very popular choice.” In his first year in the NBA he scored 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists, averaging 52.1% from the field – and 1.4 steals per game, making him the best among rookies in this particular statistic. He has won the award twice Western Conference Rookie of the Monthand named inAll-NBA Rookie First Team 2023, with 17 performances of at least 20 points. Williams stated that the trust he received from the entire Thunder organization and in Santa Clara gave him the right self-confidence to be able to make it to the NBA.
“Both the coaching staff and the rest of the staff have always put me in positions of responsibility, and I think this has made me build a lot of confidence in myself and in my abilities. They obviously believed in me, playing me in certain positions since my rookie year. And I think my 3 years of college also had a big impact on my self-confidence.”
Jalen Williams
The early season expectations on the young Williams, on the guard All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the infamous rookie Chet Holmgren – and in general all the Oklahoma City Thunder – were to compete for a place in the Playoffs. The Thunder, however, went well beyond those expectations, finishing in 1st place in the Western Conference and becoming the youngest team in NBA history to qualify with the 1st seed. Williams played a key role in reaching this milestone, averaging 19.1 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds on 54 percent shooting, including 42.7 percent from beyond the arc. Coach Daigneault believes there aren’t many players this complete in the NBA, and he came up with an epithet to describe him.
“I renamed him “The Jalen Williams Framework”: he can shoot from the perimeter, cut and insert without the ball, he knows how to lead the game and create space. He can create play from all 3 zones, and finally he knows how to attack the rim. Under his own rim he plays controlling all the space around him. And if that’s his work ethic and he can apply it like this in the NBA, there aren’t many other players capable of doing it at this level. The list is really short.”
Mark Daigneault
Brief but concrete Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in describing his teammate Williams: “Jalen is a special talent.”. During the First Round Playoffs series against the New Orleans Pelicans he averaged 21.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and shot 52.9%. THE Dallas Mavericks, however, they have limited him so far – 16 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists on 40.8% shooting. THE Mavs lead 3-2 in the Western Conference Semi-finals series after a 104-92 Game 5 victory, despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30 points – but with no one else in OKC scoring more than 13 points . The Thunder face the threat of elimination in Game 6 in Dallas this Saturday.
“There is a lot for us to learn from the last game. I think we wanted to do a lot of things well, but in the end we didn’t succeed and we lost. We know how hard it is to win in Dallas, but we also know it’s only 3 other series. And that’s how we treat everything. We can reach any level we want if we can only support each other and trust each other, continue to play the correct way and keep away the media buzz in the background.”
Jalen Williams
PHOTO: Anscape.com
Artists of the caliber of Megan Thee Stallion, Janet Jackson, Future, Brooks & Dunn e Jelly Roll they will go on stage at Smoothie King Center of New Orleans this summer, and the security probably mistook Jalen Williams for one of them when they saw him walking around wearing a hood with three stripes around his face, black pants and shirt with decorations and feathers during the pre-game last 29 April. That extravagant outfit was remarked upon by fans on social media. At that time, the Thunder had just eliminated the Pelicans with a 106-85 victory in Game 4 of the first round of the Playoffs, and Williams had turned in a 21-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist performance – drawing attention away from his outfits. Before Game 3 of the same series against the Pelicans, Williams wore a hood that enclosed much of his face with circular bands that left room only for his eyes, nose and mouth. The current and former ESPN commentator and commentator All-Star NBA, Charles Barkleyknown for his frankness and few turns of phrase, commented on the outfit choices made by Williams.
“But what is it? What is it?! Did he really dress like that to go to a game? Was it really his outfit?! He certainly already knew that he would play better than he dressed. He played well, but dressed like that he really looks like an idiot.”
Charles Barkley
An often underestimated but confident Jalen Williams is certainly aware of the risk taken in wearing certain items and the comments they could have generated. He took inspiration from comrade Gilgeous-Alexander, named in the editorial GQ 2 times Most Stylish NBA Player. Jalen frequently wears his Thunder t-shirt over his sweatshirt in pre-match warmups. What’s the secret to Jalen’s clothing choices?
“It’s just about trying to wear whatever s**t. If you asked my mother where my self-confidence comes from, she would probably say it comes from her. As mentioned, it’s just a matter of trying on various garments. It can help when you have a teammate like Shai on your team. I feel more like myself, I don’t try to prove anything. It’s just about how I was raised. And if we talk in basketball terms, a lot of the work and effort put in gives a lot of self-confidence, just like life. Yes, I’m very self-confident.”
“It doesn’t matter what level of perspective you have towards yourself. If you play well the NBA will come to visit you. The right people will see you play. Something I hold dear is the fact that if you work hard, good things will come.”
Jalen Williams
Time will tell where Jalen Williams will be able to go, despite his almost unexpected path in the NBA. What he hopes is to overturn the initial expectations towards him.
2024-05-18 13:55:51
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