The Thunder’s draft night in 2022 was broadly defined by two storylines. OKC landing Chet Holmgren was shocking, everybody expected Orlando to pass up Paolo and take the Gonzaga center.
The other story was the Thunder’s decision to trade three firsts for the 11th pick, Ousmane Dieng. The trade itself seemed like lopsided and there was a lot of discourse about whether Sam Presti overpaid for the talented, young Frenchman. The Dieng selection meant that Presti’s next pick flew under the radar.
For Jalen Williams, this has been the story of his career so far. For three years, Williams diligently worked on his game for Santa Clara, a school renowned for producing Steve Nash but crucially no other NBA players.