Thunder coach Mark Daigneault's revealing take on Jalen Williams' free-throw attempts

01/25/2025 03:24 PM

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed forward Jalen Williams' recent free-throw shooting margin before an upcoming tw0-game road trip. After Williams discussed his recovery from a hip injury, Daigneault complimented his starting forward for putting in the work that's led to Jalen heading to the free-throw line more often.

After going 6-for-7 from the free-throw line in a 123-114 win against the Utah Jazz, Williams went 7-for-10 in the Thunder's 121-115 loss against the Dallas Mavericks. Daigneault discussed Jalen improving an important facet of his game, per The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi.

"For a young guy that's ambitious, that is having success in other areas of his game, to have the foresight and maturity to be able to say, 'You know what? This is an area that is going to allow me to be a better player and allow us to be a better team. I'm going to focus on it, even in the face of failure.' I have respect for that," Daigneault said.

In his third NBA season, it's been a primary focus for Williams.

"I think he's definitely learning the situations. When a guy reaches in, and you gather and rip through that, you're putting the official in a position where he has to make a call, and you're punishing the defense for a lack of hand discipline," Daigneault added. "He's learning some of those tricks. He's more forceful on the drives, he's going more, and it's put the officials in positions where they've had to call more.

"But the more you go, and the more relentless you are, and the better you get at it, the more you put the officials in a position where the whistle can come around for you. And I think that's what's happening right now," Daigneault concluded.

While averaging 3.9 free-throw attempts this season, Williams is averaging 5.7 free-throw attempts in January, which has stood out for the Thunder and their head coach Mark Daigneault.

Jalen Williams' revealing injury update after Thunder win

After Thunder forward Jalen Williams discussed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 54 points in a win against the Jazz, he spoke about last week's hip injury.

Williams says he's feeling much better after the extended rest of sitting out of Sunday's Thunder win against the Nets.

"I think we had a pretty good strategy going in. Obviously, I was hurt, and it was one of those things where I could play and risk messing up something else with my hip or get those four days and sit out a game," Williams said. "I didn't really want to do that, but it definitely worked out well because I feel fine now."

The Thunder will face the Trail Blazers on Sunday.

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