Analyst Makes Bold Jalen Williams, Jaylen Brown Statement After Thunder's Title Run

Analyst Makes Bold Jalen Williams, Jaylen Brown Statement After Thunder's Title Run originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a very quiet offseason after capping off their historic season last year with a championship.

Of course, this was to be expected as almost the entirety of the Thunder’s core will be back next season as they try to win back-to-back titles.

While Oklahoma City has been quiet this summer, they have made some notable moves this offseason as they selected Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer in the 2025 draft.

The Thunder also locked in their star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren for the foreseeable future as they signed all three players to max contract extensions.

This move was a major one for the Thunder and while it will lead to some tough decisions in the future regarding their roster, it keeps their main core together for years to come.

With the trio signing an extension and the Thunder bringing back almost their entire core next season, Oklahoma City is the undoubted favorite to win the championship next season and while many focus on Shai after his MVP season, Williams is also set to continue to play a key role.

Jason Timpf makes bold Jalen Williams statement

Recently, The Volume Sports’ Jason Timpf made a bold statement regarding Williams and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.

“I think (Williams) might already be the best small forward in the NBA... This is a big part of why I have (Williams) above a guy like Jaylen Brown next year,” Timpf said.

"I think [Jalen Williams] might already be the best small forward in the NBA... This is a big part of why I have [J-Dub] above a guy like Jaylen Brown next year."

— Jason Timpf 👀

(via @TheVolumeSports)pic.twitter.com/DhJoi3gTKj

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 4, 2025

This is an extremely bold statement by Timpf but one that does make sense, especially after Williams’ breakout campaign last season.

Last season, the 24-year-old forward averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 36.5% from three-point range.

The star forward was also named an All-Star for the first time in his career and also made his first All-NBA and All-Defensive team as well.

Williams played a large role in the Thunder’s success last season on both ends of the court, especially with Holmgren missing a ton of time due to injuries and he is set to continue to play a key role in the future with the franchise.

While that may be the case, it was bold of Timpf to call him the best small forward in the NBA, especially over Brown, but if Williams continues to improve every season, there is no doubt that he will continue to be one of the top forwards in the NBA.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.