How Jaylin Williams brings 'everybody together' as OKC Thunder glue guy

More: Jared McCain, OKC Thunder already a perfect fit just months after 76ers trade

'He's one of those guys who you need on your team'

Williams wears his heart on his sleeve, just like he wears the place that nurtured it.

On his right shoulder is a tattoo sleeve that pays tribute to his hometown of Fort Smith, Arkansas. It's a city with fewer than 100,000 residents, and it lives up to the "southern hospitality" stereotype. Those who visit receive a warm welcome in ways other than just the scorching weather.

Everybody knows everybody there, and everybody deserves to be treated with respect. That's what Williams learned from his father, Michael Williams, a local basketball standout himself.

"My dad always raised me to have good manners and always be nice to whoever it is," Williams told The Oklahoman. "If it's the janitor or the boss of the building. Whoever it is, be the same person to them. My dad instilled that in me at a young age, and that's just who I am."

That can be seen every time Williams arrives at Paycom Center for a game. He shows love to the arena's security staff on his way to the locker room. He shows love to the Thunder's staff during his warmup session. He shows love to the fans. And he shows love to his teammates on the court by celebrating their success.

But it can also be seen when the bright lights shut off. When it's the dead of night and OKC is on a bus ride to the hotel after landing in whatever city is next on the schedule. Williams is still lighting the place up with his pearly whites.

"Everybody is supposed to be tired and sleepy, but he's cracking jokes," Thunder forward Kenrich Williams said. "He's the one in the back of the bus cracking jokes. He's always in a good mood, and it just has a trickle effect on the whole team."

Williams' upbeat personality is especially valuable during the unavoidable low points of an NBA season.

Even the dominant Thunder isn't immune to a bad loss, and even its top players aren't immune to bad individual performances. Fortunately, they aren't immune to Williams' infectious laugh either.

"He's one of those guys who you need on your team in the league because the season is so long," Thunder guard Alex Caruso said. "He's someone who's always going to either have something to say or have a conversation to bring up. He has that natural energy and that natural ability to just talk and bring that out of people. That's a unique skill. That's one of those intangibles that people probably overlook in an NBA team."

More: OKC Thunder's Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Joe honored with renamed streets in their hometown

Jaylin Williams (6) during the Thunder Media Day for the 25-26 NBA season at the Paycom Center Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.

'This guy is a monster competitor'

The whistle sounded, signaling OKC's timeout during a road game against Detroit on Feb. 25. And for once, Williams wasn't smiling.

He was wincing in pain, still hurting from a hard fall he took after attempting a layup. But instead of taking a seat on the bench, he spent the entire timeout jumping up and down to put some weight on his left ankle.

There was no way Williams was going to sub out. Not on a night when OKC only had nine players available due to various injuries. Not on a night when Branden Carlson, the team's only other active big man, also went down with an injury of his own and didn't return.

So Williams gutted it out for a team-high 35 minutes. He scored a career-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds and four assists, which helped the Thunder keep it competitive in what was ultimately a 124-116 loss.

That's the other layer of Williams. Below the soft-hearted exterior is an impenetrable level of toughness, and that allows him to thrive in even the harshest of battles.

"There are a lot of good guys who are good teammates, but they’re not monster competitors," Daigneault said. "This guy is a monster competitor, and I think that’s what gives him a lot of credibility and equity in the locker room. There’s no moment that’s too big for him. He loves competing. He’s not backing down from any challenge. When the lights are on, he’s ready to go."

Williams shined in an expanded role, which is a common theme. He averaged 12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his 11 starts this season on 42.6% shooting from deep.

And yet nobody is happier than Williams when OKC is at full strength. He can be seen jumping up and down from the bench, this time in excitement rather than pain, whenever his teammates pull off a highlight-reel play.

It's another way Williams sets the tone for OKC's players, who don't just love to compete. They love to compete with each other.

"When you're on the court, you want to fight for him," McCain said. "When you have that close connection on the team, you feel like it's family. It's someone you want to rock with no matter what. It's like your brothers. No matter what it is, we always want to be there for each other. And J-Will does a great job of bringing everybody together in that sense."

More: Jared McCain, OKC Thunder already a perfect fit just months after 76ers trade

Oklahoma City's Jaylin Williams (6) celebrates with Jared McCain (3) and Alex Caruso (9) during t Game 2 of the NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.

'These dudes make it really easy to be a great teammate'

A leader is a person doing the right thing.

That's something Daigneault has told his team plenty of times throughout the years. And it was an especially-important message during the early days of the Thunder's rebuild, when the young group didn't have many traditional leaders.

OKC only had two players on the team, Derrick Favors and Mike Muscala, with more than three years of NBA experience on its 2021-22 roster. It's how someone like Kenrich Williams, who was only in his fourth season, became a leader on what was the league's youngest team at the time.

And it's how Jaylin Williams, a 23-year-old forward who's only in his fourth season, has already become a leader on the current Thunder.

"For sure," Kenrich Williams said when asked if Jaylin Williams is a leader. "He's just somebody who lays it out on the court every game, whether that's taking charges or diving on loose balls or just being an anchor on the defensive end. And he's always somebody you can count on to bring energy."

Jaylin flashed his signature smile when told he got Kenrich's stamp of approval after OKC's Game 4 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. His eyes darted across the locker room to spot his teammate before holding up his hand as a sign of appreciation.

"That's my dawg, K," Jaylin Williams said. "His word means a lot. It carries a lot of weight in our locker room, so for him to say that is big."

Cool points in the locker room are worth much more to Williams than his individual points in games. The talkative forward has always had a voice, but it means the world to him for it to be heard and respected by his peers.

OKC's biggest glue guy is just happy he found a place where he can stick.

"I'm just super grateful for the position I'm in," Williams said. "I just try to put my joy that I have for living my life onto others. Everybody says I'm a great teammate, but these dudes make it really easy to be a great teammate. Everybody is super close and everybody is a good dude, so it's super easy to just be a good guy when you're in this locker room and you're in this building."

OKC Thunder stock report: Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain soaring in NBA Playoffs

Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for theThunder Sports Minute newsletterto access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jaylin Williams is the OKC Thunder's glue guy and monster competitor