The Thunder star wing is looking to come alive in OKC’s second bout of the season. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have their home opener on Thursday, as the Denver Nuggets come to town for the second game of the season. Oklahoma City is coming off a big first win of the season, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 on Tuesday. 

Many Thunder players had a great start to the season, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jared McCain led the way, each having great scoring performances. However, there were some Thunder players who didn’t have the night they were hoping for. 

One player in particular is Thunder wing Jalen Williams. Williams returned to action on Tuesday night after being out for the majority of last season due to multiple injuries. Williams hoped to have a fairy-tale-like return to the league, but unfortunately it didn’t go as planned. 

Williams only had 12 points on Tuesday night after shooting 41.7% from the field. While this isn’t a horrible stat line, Williams is easily capable of more and can showcase that he is one of the best players in the league. The star will be looking to make this good start a reality tonight as the Nuggets come to town.

Williams will just be looking to improve the offensive side of his game, as he made himself seen on the defensive side of the ball. The Thunder star had both one steal and one block on Tuesday night, and helped out on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds. This stellar defensive performance is only expected to continue, and if he can bring his offensive game around, he could get back to being one of the best players in the league. 

Williams hasn’t matched up against the Nuggets since the 2024-25 season, but he has plenty of experience battling them after being one of the main reasons OKC got past Denver during the team’s championship run. He will be looking to have the same success on Thursday night and will be hoping that this success continues for the rest of the season. 

The Thunder have the potential to win their second NBA Championship in three years this season, but have learned that they can’t do it without William’s help. OKC will be hoping that the star wing can unlock his full potential this season, and will help lead the Thunder back to the top of the league.