Thunder Keeping Kenrich Williams Despite Interest Around the NBA
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The NBA is starting to take notice of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The youngest team in the NBA is finding a mid-season groove behind a stingy defense and quickly progressing stars.
Gilgeous-Alexander is on an MVP-type tear through half of the season, and OKC is reaping the benefits. He’s averaging 30.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, and is certainly the biggest reason for the Thunder’s recent jump. Josh Giddey has been magnificent, too, upping his totals to 16 points, eight rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
The Thunder’s newfound success most likely wouldn’t be possible without Kenrich Williams, though. The do-it-all glue guy has filled in at center many times this season, and seems to play wherever he’s needed on either end of the floor. On the season, Kenny Hustle is averaging 7.6 points on 53% from the floor and 42.9% from 3-point range. Over the last ten games, Williams is shooting 51.5% from downtown.
Tuesday, Shams Charania reported Oklahoma City’s intentions to keep Williams for the long haul. It’s easy to see why the Thunder would want him to stick around longterm. Williams would be an immediate asset to any contending team, and now, OKC suddenly seems much closer to competing.
The Thunder signed Williams to a four-year, $27.2 million contract extension this summer, and so far it has paid off big time.
Oklahoma City’s on-court success without a true center has been a team effort, but Williams’ ability to play and guard any position is critical. The Thunder has held its ground on the trading block, and seems to be content with rolling out weirdly effective small-ball lineups. Mark Daigneault has his squad playing with serious effort, and the scheme really seems to hit home.
Oklahoma City sits at No. 9 in the NBA’s team defensive ratings, while ranking in the top ten in both steals and blocks. Even without any true front court depth, the Thunder has managed to net a top ten defense any way you look at it. One of the biggest reasons why is Willams, and he’s here to set the tone in OKC for the long haul.
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