On an Oklahoma City Thunder team with All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rookie of the Year candidate Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams can get overlooked.
The New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson was overlooked at times early in his career, too.
On Wednesday in Oklahoma City, Williams and Brunson will meet when the Thunder and Knicks square off.
Williams is coming off a 21-point, 7-of-11 shooting performance in the Thunder’s 129-106 win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
Williams has scored a total of 49 points and made 18 of 28 shots from the floor in Oklahoma City’s past two games. He is making significant strides in his sophomore season.
Williams is averaging 17.6 points per game, up from the 14.1 average he posted as a rookie.
The Thunder enter play Wednesday having won four of their last five games, with their largest margin of victory in that span coming on Tuesday.
Brunson is coming off one of his best showings of the season, a 38-point, six-assist effort in New York’s 129-122 Christmas Day win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks.
Brunson scored 15 points in the first quarter as the Knicks jumped out to a 36-27 lead.
Four Knicks — Brunson, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley — scored at least 20 points and four New York players recorded four or more of the team’s 27 assists.
The biggest advantage for the Knicks against the Thunder is the glass, as New York is second in the league in rebounding percentage, pulling down 52.3 percent of possible rebounds. The Thunder are next-to-last in the league in the category at 47.2 percent.
Both teams have been among the league’s best in limiting turnovers, with Oklahoma City averaging just 12.8 (fourth in the NBA) and the Knicks averaging 12.9 (tied for fifth).
The Thunder are forcing an NBA-best 16.7 turnovers per game — nearly a turnover more than any other team in the league. The Knicks are just 21st at 13.3 giveaways forced per contest.
Oklahoma City is 6-1 against the Eastern Conference this season, while the Knicks are 4-5 against the West.
The Knicks’ Jericho Sims is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game due to a right ankle sprain.
