Jaylen Williams compares the Spurs to a young OKC team after the Christmas showdown

OKLAHOMA CITY — All-Star Jalen Williams saw a younger version of himself and Oklahoma City Thunder in the middle San Antonio Spurs‘ 117-102 win on Christmas Day. After Williams stated the obvious about the Spurs All-Star center Victor Wembanyama and his defensive presence complimented San Antonio’s collective offensive approach.

The way the Spurs an inclusive offense involves multiple playersand the continuity he provides reminded Williams of the Thunder’s 2023-24 team, he said during a postgame media availability.

“They kind of remind me of my sophomore year. The way they play together, and they get it as a team,” Williams said. “They all do a good job in their role, and they’re fine with it, which is fun to play against. It definitely gives us a lot to learn about that. So that’s pretty cool. Obviously, it sucks to be on the other side, but watching the other team — throughout the history of basketball — has always found a way to figure out how to improve.

“That’s the biggest thing. They’re connected – you can see it. Guys are stepping up, making big plays. Everybody’s kind of settled into their role. So that makes it tough for them. Then when Victor is out there, defensively, he covers up a lot of their mistakes, which makes our improvement offensively that much more important,” Williams.

In Jalen Williams’ second season, the up-and-coming Thunder surprised the NBA by arriving earlier than expected, winning 57 games, which tied for first in the Western Conference standings. Oklahoma City’s playoff run ended with a six-game best-of-seven second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks, who went on to advance to the NBA Finals.

The Spurs (23-7) are heading in a similar fashion, trailing the Thunder (26-5) by 2.5 games in the Western Conference standings after beating the defending champions twice this week — three times in 12 days.

Marc Daigneault on Spurs without Victor Wembanyama

Thunder head coach Marc Daigneault reminded reporters of the Spurs’ dominant run of late, which has left the defending champions breathing down their necks, even as they started without All-Star center Victor Wembanyama. With or without Vembanyama, Daigneault says the Spurs aren’t missing a beatas their impressive 9-1 record over their last 10 games has turned them into the hottest team in the NBA.

“They’re a really good team. He’s obviously a very impactful player, but he missed a lot of time and they didn’t miss a beat when he was out,” Daigneault said. “Then when he’s off the floor, they don’t miss a beat when he’s off the court. So that’s not surprising at all. They got really good players. They play well as a team. They’re well coached.”

“They’re doing very well, and he’s obviously impactful, and that adds to that. But it’s not like him and the rest of the team at all. They have a very good team,” Daigneault concluded.

The Thunder will look to bounce back against the 76ers on Sunday.