Mark Daigneault waxes lyrical about Jaylin Williams' willingness to step up for OKC

The Oklahoma City Thunder did not have most of their core rotation players in the Wednesday night game against the Detroit Pistons. This was a matchup between the two top teams in their respective conferences, but the Thunder were not at full strength.

Despite their disadvantage, the Thunder made sure to be competitive in the potential NBA Finals preview. Jaylin Williams was the standout for the Thunder, as he got 30 points and 11 rebounds. He matched up well against NBA All-Star center Jalen Duren, who had 29 points and 15 rebounds.

Daigneault was pleased with Jaylin Williams' toughness

Most NBA fans know of Williams as one of the best personalities on the Thunder roster. He always steps up when needed, especially in situations like this when the Thunder are completely depleted. Moving forward, they will want to see Williams and other players step up amid this injury crisis.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is often the star player for the Thunder, but he, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and many more players were absent. Despite that, the Thunder only lost by eight points against the Pistons. This was yet another example of OKC's impressive next man up mentality.

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In recent games, Cason Wallace has done well to step up as the Thunder's best guard. Considering the star players are inactive, Wallace and Williams became the de facto go-to guys. They did not have a problem doing so because they are always prepared to contribute.

"He was unreal tonight. Great toughness and obviously great offense. I think that must be a career high for him. We flowed through him against a team that really pressures, similar to what we’ve had to do lately. He was a great help for us again tonight," Daigneault said about Williams' contributions after the game against Detroit.

This performance was the proof that people need when assessing the Thunder. They are a talented bunch from SGA, the head of the snake, to the end-of-the-bench guys. With players like Williams and Wallace stepping up, it is hard to beat the Thunder when they do get fully healthy.

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