Jalen Williams Praises His Teammate for Having a Unique Elite Skill

The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be a very difficult team to defeat this season. Coming off a historic year last year, this season, they look even better. They’ve also done most of their damage this season without their second-best player, Jalen Williams, in the lineup. 

Thriving with Williams out was no easy feat. Obviously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren played amazingly, but the Thunder's role players also stepped up in big ways. One of those role players, Isaiah Joe, particularly stood out. 

Joe is known for being a sharpshooting three-point shooter. This season, he is averaging career highs in both points and rebounds. He has been elite in his role for the Thunder. 

Jalen Williams praised Isaiah Joe for having a skill that not many other players around the league possess. 

"Coming into the game, not knowing when you're going to come in, you have no prior shots, and your first three is: I gotta run, get my feet, and shoot a corner-3 with like four seconds left — and be expected to make it — is a very elite skill…And it's not a skill that a lot of NBA players have. So, for him to be on our team and have that is very special… And honestly, we probably take it for granted because when he misses, it's kind of weird. And you kind of have to catch yourself. I think, me not playing was something that I really started to understand — his job is extremely hard. To come in and be expected to make shots right away. But that's why he gets paid, and he does it at a very high clip."

Championship rosters need players like Joe. Not everyone can be a star, and some players need to star in their role. Joe has done that, and people are starting to notice.