Jalen Williams addresses Thunder's free-throw shooting disparity
11/30/2024 03:52 PM
After entering halftime 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and the Oklahoma City Thunder finished 12-for-16 in their 101-93 NBA Cup victory against the Los Angeles Lakers. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault mentioned the free-throw shooting disparity leading up to his game against the Lakers and during his halftime interview with ESPN. And without being asked directly, the topic unexpectedly appeared during Williams’ postgame media availability.
After scoring 19 points, including 6-for-14 from inside the 3-point arc, a reporter asked Jalen about his mid-range touch after Friday’s win.
“I don’t really go to the free-throw line a lot. A lot of that was predicated on trying to get other shots. That’s an aspect of my game I’m still trying to figure out,” Williams said. “So, it’s just somewhere where I got comfortable. I think whenever you perfect any shot, no matter statistically, you can be really good at it. And that’s just something that I kind of found myself within our offense, being at a lot.
“So, I thought I might as well get good at shooting at. I know analytically it’s probably not the best shot, but for me it is,” he concluded.
Williams made 2-for-5 from deep, a facet of his game that’s evolved in 2024-25.
“I think a lot of my game, too, this year, has been shooting a lot more of the open threes,” Williams added. “And that’s been opening up the mid-range. It’s just something I work on. Something where, like I said, like the way our offense is, somewhere I’m ending up a lot. It’s something I’ve tried to perfect over time and figure out different ways to get to those spots. This year, I’ve been shooting a lot more on the right side of the floor. Just kind of how teams are guarding me and understanding that.”
Jalen Williams to ‘figure out’ ways to get to the free-throw line
All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 36 points led the Thunder in Friday’s win. He finished making 7-for-8 free throws, while Thunder forward Jalen Williams was 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. Williams shoots free throws at a 79.8% clip and averages 3.1 attempts per game.
“It’s an aspect of my game I’m trying to figure out,” Williams said. “The way I play basketball, I try not to leave it in the officials’ hands. When I’m playing, I’m not really worried about that. I don’t really shoot a lot anyway, so I’ve learned how to score 20 a game without it. So, whenever it comes, it’ll be a big night.”
His free-throw makes (2.5) and attempts (3.1) per game are identical to his 2023-24 numbers thus far.
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