What Jalen Williams Said About the Lack of Veterans on the Thunder

Many doubted whether the Oklahoma City Thunder could win an NBA championship because of their youth and inexperience. Critics argued they needed veterans to handle a long playoff run, but the team proved otherwise by winning the 2025 title.

In an interview with SLAM Magazine, forward Jalen Williams explained how the team broke stereotypes and triumphed despite having the youngest roster at the start of the 2024–2025 season. He said he doesn’t believe a team needs a lot of veterans to be successful, although they can be helpful. He added that he had already learned how to be a professional even before signing with the Thunder.

On opening night, the Thunder had an average age of 24.1 years. Williams, just 24 years old (23 at the start of last season), was already the team’s second-best player behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was 26 at the time of the championship and is now 27.

Throughout the season, seven players averaged double-digit points, all of them 26 or younger. In the playoff roster, the oldest players were Alex Caruso and Kenrich Williams at 31 and 30. The rest were under 26, and half were 23 or younger.

Williams explained that the organization instills discipline from day one. He described how every basketball has to be placed a certain way in the cart, players must tuck in their jerseys during practice, and jewelry isn’t allowed at workouts. He said they learned those habits from the beginning and didn’t need veterans to teach them, which helped them mature faster because of the environment they were in.

In 2024, the Thunder made history as the youngest team ever to win a playoff series, though they fell in the second round to the Dallas Mavericks despite being the No. 1 seed. Rather than change course, executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti and head coach Mark Daigneault continued to bet on youth. 

That gamble paid off. After winning 58 games in 2023–2024, the team set a franchise record with 68 victories last season and lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The decision not to load the roster with veterans ended up being a key factor in their success.