Jalen Williams on playing point, and managing emotions during NBA Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals 111-104 on Friday night to even up the series at 2-2.

Jalen Williams spoke to journalists the day before Game 5 in Oklahoma City. You can watch his full interview at the top of this article. Here are several key takeaways.

How comfortable is JDub running point in the NBA Finals?

Jalen Williams explained that while many view him as a wing player, he actually grew up playing point guard and has substantial experience running the offense, dating back to college and his early NBA years. His biggest adjustment was learning to play off the ball rather than handling it. He feels comfortable running point in the Finals, and sees this role shift as a natural, organic evolution. As he said, “I played the one in college... my learning curve was more like how to play off the ball than it was on the ball. So I'm pretty comfortable doing it... as the game went on, it just like naturally organically happened and I was kind of ready for that.” His versatility in switching roles mid-series gives his team valuable strategic flexibility.

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How do you handle the emotional swings?

Jalen Williams opened up about the emotional challenges that come with deep playoff runs, especially for younger players experiencing the intensity for the first time. Early in his career, the emotional highs and lows felt overwhelming, but after multiple playoff series, he’s grown more “numb” to the swings, helping him stay focused and steady through the rollercoaster of competition.

Physically, Jalen emphasized that enduring a long playoff run is less about what happens during the playoffs themselves and more about the year-round preparation.

As he put it:

"I've honestly gotten better with [the emotional swings] as time has gone on... I'm kind of numb to the ups and downs and it just kind of like comes with basketball. But as far as like my body and not playing this long, that all starts in, ironically, it all starts in June, whenever the season ends, but like taking care of your body throughout the season, how I eat, how I prepare like throughout the year allows me to be able to like play this way and like my body feels good. What I'm doing after games to recover, win or lose, I think is a big one for me. So I try and do that pretty consistently and find a routine and that's been really helpful."

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