Kenrich Williams and his value for the Oklahoma City Thunder

Williams' ability to make an impact at multiple positions should prove useful for the Thunder coaching staff

Ever since Kenrich Williams arrived in Oklahoma City, he has impressed with his tenacious production and leadership. Williams is not the sort of player who stuffs the stat-sheet but his decision-making and effort always seems to lead the way for the Thunder. We covered his glue guy abilities two years ago and a lot of the analysis still rings true.

Kenrich just finds ways to turn the tide of the game in the Thunder’s favour. This statement was especially true in the game against the San Antonio Spurs. Williams finished the night with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. He did not make a single field goal attempt but finished with a plus-minus of +14.0, second highest for the night behind only Cason Wallace.

Kenny’s impact on the team goes deeper than just his counting stats. On the court, he is a leader who sets the tone with his communication and decision-making. Williams snaps the ball into his teammates’ hands or bashes his way to the hoop with little in the way of hesitation. He plays at a pace and with a selflessness that mitigates the possibility of the Thunder playing a stretch of stagnant, listless basketball.

As a communicator, Williams is one of the loudest players on the court and you can hear him calling out the opposing team’s plays. His voice helps the Thunder to organise their half-court defense effectively and take any easy options off the table.

The communication and decision-making both feed into Williams’ ability to navigate unstructured possessions successfully. An offense in basketball is a structured set up even when it may seem that the game is completely free-flowing.

There are teams like the Lakers who have offenses designed around two core actions, LeBron James’ iso and 1-5 pick and roll. Their entire playbook is built off just two actions and it is up to the two core players to ad-lib and find new wrinkles. The other three players are complementary figures who serve a specific purpose but have very little say in how the offense is run.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are teams like the Warriors who play this devastating, fluid style of basketball in which the ball flows around the court and open space dictates the offense. However, a motion offense still has rules to be adhered and core actions that are observed by the coaching staff, hello Steph/Klay split-action.

Unstructured possessions occur when the sets break down and the game is played with very little input from the coaching staff. To borrow the Warriors as an example, Draymond Green made his millions on possessions where he had to improvise. Green’s spatial awareness and quick processing speed allowed him to maximise broken plays and keep the Warriors’ engine ticking over.

Williams possesses the same ability in the sense that he is able to think the game faster than most of his opponents. Williams does not possess Draymond’s ability to create in 4v3 situations but we have not seen Kenrich in these types of actions during his time in a Thunder jersey.

Given Williams’ qualities and the Thunder’s crowded wing rotation, it would make sense for Coach Daigneault to move Kenrich into the front-court and have him play against traditional bigs more often.

The benefits of deploying Williams at center lineups are clear. The first benefit comes on the defensive end of the floor. Kenrich has the tenacity and length to switch any coverage in screen actions. Switching coverages would allow the Thunder to maintain intense ball pressure in the half-court much more easily.

While he would give up size in center match-ups, the battle is more even than you might think. Kenrich is elite charge-drawer and uses that ability to plant a seed of doubt in his opponent’s mind whenever they roll to the basket.

For the defensive team, a successful charge is one of the best outcomes on an individual possession. As soon as the referee blows the whistle, the possession is finished without any opportunity for second chance points. Williams having a proficiency in drawing charges is a marginal gain for the Thunder but those gains start to stack up over the course of a season.

Kenrich Williams defends larger players by guarding touch-tight and getting his frame into the lower body of his assignment. It’s a tactic that the likes of PJ Tucker have used when guarding up a position. By concentrating his weight low down, Williams becomes more difficult to move and the attacking player has to work so much harder to get a good quality shot near the basket.

On the offensive end of the floor, playing Kenrich at the 5 would give the Thunder another shot-creator on the floor. Williams is a low-usage option but his game is surprisingly versatile. Kenrich is very good at bullying his way to the basket and shrugging off contact. This is an efficient shooting zone for Williams, he has shot 67% within three feet of the rim for his entire career.

He is an up and down outside shooter but shot 37.3% from deep last season and shot 44.4% in the 2020-21 season. Williams may not shoot in the sort of volume that attracts attention from the defense but he is certainly capable of knocking down open three-pointers.

Lastly, Kenrich is comfortable draining looks from the mid-range. Williams has previously spoken about Paul Pierce being his favourite player and like Pierce, Kenny is happy to take one dribble pull-up jumpers in the non-painted area. It’s a good shot for him, he shot 47.6% on middies last season.

His game is not flashy and somewhat limited but Kenrich has a few well-crafted options that make him useful in the half-court setting. You would not rely on Williams to run your offense but he could easily provide a crucial score or a crucial pass when the team needs it.

Williams at center feels like a lineup that worth’s exploring. The Thunder would obviously give up size and rim protection but as we have seen in today’s league, these are not always the most useful qualities. Speed and mobility are as important, if not the most important characteristics for a team's defense to have.

As the Thunder progress through the season and for a potential playoff berth, Coach Daigneault will need to explore every inch of the roster and figure out lineups that can produce on both ends of the floor when it matters most. A lineup with Williams at the 5 would be unexpected but likely very useful.