OKC Thunder 3 goals: Jaylin Williams can be locker room vibes guy again

A summer filled with celebration nears its end. Only a month remains until the Oklahoma City Thunder start the 2025-26 regular season. The NBA champion has enjoyed its accomplishments, but soon a new marathon will start with them at the top.

Bringing back mostly the same roster, the Thunder are the consensus title favorite. They're viewed as a team that could pull off the rare feat of being a back-to-back champion. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren all signed contract extensions this offseason to keep their title window wide open.

To prepare for the 2025-26 regular season, Thunder Wire will lay out three goals for all 17 players on the roster. OKC has 15 standard players and two two-way players. Let's look at Jaylin Williams and what he could accomplish this upcoming year:

Remain an outside threat

The biggest swing skill that has allowed Williams to carve out an NBA role is his outside shot. He's shot 39% from 3 on 2.5 attempts in his career. While those aren't game-changing numbers, it's forced teams to respect his outside jumper when they would usually sag off him. He'll need to keep up that efficiency to be productive on the floor and unlock the rest of his game.

The Thunder hope Williams can replicate his outside shot. Most of their role players will receive their looks on catch-and-shoot attempts. If he can, he'll have a role in the NBA champion. He was a quality third-string center who was matchup-dependent in the playoffs. His contributions to the Larry O'Brien trophy were being a rotation player against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Stay ready

Because of the Thunder's deep roster, Williams received some bad luck. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein were ahead of him on the depth chart, which meant his rotation minutes were on a game-to-game basis. He appeared in 47 games and averaged 16.7 minutes. Maybe not the numbers you'd want as a 23-year-old still trying to carve out a career, but you have to respect his ability to stay ready.

Expect the same for this upcoming season. Williams might be too talented to be a third-string center, but that's the role he's found himself in with the Thunder. That means his ability to stay ready and contribute will be important. Those are the challenges for players who are near the end of the depth chart.

Keep up the locker room vibes

You always hear about the Thunder's impeccable chemistry. Everybody on the roster understands their role. Zero agendas existed last season that could've fractured the locker room vibes. Williams deserves a lot of credit for that. Fans might not be able to see it, but there's a reason Sam Presti went out of his way to tell a couple of anecdotes on the energy he brings when the cameras aren't around.

After signing a contract extension, Williams will be counted on to continue to be that guy. Everybody being on the same page is the foundation every NBA champion needs. The Thunder have firsthand experience with that. Now they hope to duplicate this upcoming season with mostly the same roster.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder 3 goals: Jaylin Williams can be locker room vibes guy