When it comes to impactful player comparisons, one that has emerged lately in NBA discussions is drawing a comparison between up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder player, Jalen Williams, and long-established NBA star, Kawhi Leonard.
The rapidly brewing discussion around this comparison was recently catapulted into limelight by Bill Simmons, the renowned sports writer and podcaster and former ESPN host, Ryen Russillo.
Ryen Russillo made an exciting comparison, stating that Williams reminded him of a young Kawhai Leonard: “There’s a lot of Kawhi when I watch Jalen Williams,” Simmons said, claiming that the Thunder star is already as talented as Leonard was, offensively, during the second year of his career.
"There's a lot of Kawhi when I watch Jalen Williams."@BillSimmons and @ryenarussillo discuss the potential of Jalen Williams after his massive game yesterday at MSG: pic.twitter.com/xVhiFyAzq7
— The Ringer (@ringer) April 1, 2024
“That was the year when we really started to wonder, ‘What’s going on with this guy?’ Like ‘This guy is guarding LeBron’”, Russillo said, adding, “And that was the best version ever of LeBron, and Kawhi seemed really comfortable in the mix with him, playing crunch time”. Additionally, he noted already making up his mind back then that there could be no other player who might rise to the same grounds as Leonard. That is, however, until the arrival of Jalen Williams.
“Jalen Williams is further ahead of the game than Kawhi was in Year 2,” Russillo claimed, continuing, “Body-wise, offensively, he’s better already. Could he be Kawhi 2.0? That is the real question.”
This came after Williams helped the Thunder sneak past the New York Knicks with a thrilling score of 113-112. He made headline with 33 points and 8 assists at Madison Square Garden.
One could argue that comparing Jalen Williams, a new entrant in the sports, with an established player like Kawhi Leonard of San Antonio Spurs is ambitious.
The Spurs rose to prominence with Leonard, who secured their championship win in his second year in the league.
Simmons, while appreciating Williams’s offensive tactics, contends that Leonard didn’t unveil his offensive mastery until year five into the NBA.
Williams has played 67 games for OKC this season, surpassing Leonard’s total of 58 during the 2012–13 season for the Spurs.
His tally of an average 19.5 points and 4.6 assists is higher, when compared to Leonard’s 11.9 points and 1.6 assists in the initial days.
Although Williams has impressive numbers, Kawhi Leonard holds a slight edge in defense. Williams averages 4 rebounds this season, Leonard had 6, and has a clear lead in steals with 1.7 to Williams’ 1.1.
