Every basketball player remembers their “Welcome to the NBA moment.” A time when their confidence gets shot, and a veteran humbles them into realizing just how competitive the league can be. Jalen Williams remembers his Welcome to the NBA moment all too well, and it involved two-time champion Kawhi Leonard.
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Williams came into the league in 2022 after the Thunder selected him 12th overall in that year’s draft. Since then, he has become one of the most dynamic two-way players in the league. Not only that, the 24-year-old helped lead OKC to its first franchise championship this past postseason. That helped him earn a brand new five-year extension worth $287 million.
Some may think that is an absurd amount of money for Jalen, who is still considered the No. 2 option behind 2025 league and Finals MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But Jalen more than earned it. He averaged 21 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. These were all career highs, and it helped get the Thunder a ring.
But in 2022, before he had gotten his bag, Jalen was still finding his footing. He recalled during an interview on the Out The Mud podcast how Kawhi had him so lost in a matchup that his head coach, Mark Daigneault, jokingly berated him during a huddle.
Jalen Williams reflects on his rookie season:
“We played the Clippers, we beat them. Kawhi had a horrible game… But we played a back-to-back. He started the game 9-of-9 on me… Mark was like, ‘He’s busting your ass Jalen, you need to switch?'”
(via @OutTheMudTL) pic.twitter.com/KA8cusStmQ
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) August 28, 2025
“We played the Clippers, we beat the Clippers. Kawhi had a horrible game. I did a good job guarding him,” started Williams. “So I’m juiced, but we played them back-to-back.” If you hadn’t figured it out by now, Leonard is not the type of player who you can hold down twice in a row, and Jalen was about to learn that the hard way.
“He started the game out 9-of-9 on me. We go back to the huddle, Mark like, everybody don’t know Mark says slick stuff,” JDub continued. “He’s like, ‘He’s busting your ass Jalen, you need to switch?’ I looked at him and I was like, ‘Yeah.'”
Honestly, Jalen shouldn’t feel bad. Kawhi Leonard is an offensive juggernaut and a certified future Hall of Famer. He should be proud that they were able to contain him in one game, but as mentioned above, you can’t keep The Claw from killing you.
Also, Jalen most likely learned a great deal from Daigneault’s playful jab, and it’s obvious his head coach loves him. Daigneault even commended him for it during an old interview with USA Today.
“He’s taken a nice step. I think specifically he’s really learned pressure. I think early on in his career, he had great length. He at times would amp up the pressure too much and pick up a silly foul,” Daigneault said. “There’s time where he didn’t pressure enough. I think he’s found a nice equilibrium with his ball pressure. He’s got great feet, great physicality. He’s for great hands.”
One thing is certain, having your “Welcome to the NBA” moment is just a right of passage. It helps you shed your rookie skin and mold yourself into the player you hope to become. And it’s clear that Jalen Williams is well on his way to being a dominant force in this league for years to come.
