Jalen Williams’ Trainer: "I Don’t Think He’s Anywhere Near His Ceiling"

Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)

Every week, Mark Medina shares his thoughts and insights on the latest NBA topics for RG. In this installment, Medina has an exclusive interview with trainer Packie Turner on Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams ahead of Game 3 of the Thunder’s second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

You’ve already shared publicly that you saw Jalen beforehand as an All-Star and All-Defensive team player. What did you see then and what do you see now?

Turner: “Everyone has seen who he can become, and he’s becoming that in front of us. That’s what’s kind of amazing about it. I’ve been with Jalen since his pre-draft [in 2022]. He was testing at the time. I remember five minutes into our first workout, I was turning to his agent and saying, ‘He’s not going back to school. He’s going into the lottery.’ So I think that also endeared me to Jalen a little bit and my belief right away. I had seen him play in college [at Santa Clara] and looked at what he could do. Then when I got to talk to him and be on the court with him, that’s when I thought all the pieces are here. The thing that really impressed me was his ability to articulate and see the game. Right away, I knew he had a different gear because he can process things at a different level.”

How did Jalen show you during that workout that he could articulate and see the game so well?

Turner: “I think one of my early questions was, ‘What is your preferred finish?’ He said, ‘Well it depends where my primary defender is and where is the secondary help.’ I said, ‘You’re already thinking about second and third-level defenders. Most guys will see, ‘I love to go with this finish.’ Just the way in which he was already talking about the game, that was something that was different. You could tell he had already been a playmaker, had the ball in his hand and had to create for others. So he already knew how to do that. He also has a scoring mentality. So he can create a bucket when he needs to as well. So he’s got a unique blend.”

What do you think he did that was key to raise his game to another level so that he became an All-Star and made All-Defensive Second team?

Turner: “This is a credit to him and the whole organization. He has been on this path. There are not many guys where for every single month of their career, they have gotten better. But if you statistically look at Jalen, it has nearly been that. This year, some numbers took a dip. But the volume is up. So for what it is, it is still really good. That’s what is so impressive. Now defenses are keying in on him more. The position that he’s in now, he’s still delivering at that level. That’s what is so impressive. He really hasn’t wavered. I think he has risen to every occasion. 

And he took the loss in the playoffs last year the right way. It gave us a clear direction for our offseason. He’s come back and has answered that call.”

What lessons did he take from last year’s playoff exit?

Turner: “Be able to go both ways comfortably. Everybody knew he could go one way, and they really tried to exploit that. So we made sure that he could go both ways. He was comfortable with any move and had different counters with that. He was comfortable if defenders were going to give him that, then he would take it and he’s going to make them play. Now they can’t force that anymore.”

What drills helped him prepare for that?

Turner: “I wouldn’t say there was one thing. But it was his diligent work every day. It was his dedication to it. We had two-a-days. We would have one workout without defenders. Then the next one is fully guarded. We’re repping it on air, so to speak, when nobody is guarding us so we can master the feel, the footwork and things and then putting into use. Then we can see the counters that he comes up with when there is somebody there. Then we determined if that is something we want to build off of, or is that something that we’re not loving. We’re allowing his creativity to be a big piece of it because he is naturally very creative with the ball in his hands.”

I saw SI did a piece on him earlier and it mentioned that Jalen keeps screenshots of every criticism. What window do you have with that?

Turner: “He’s a guy that doesn’t mind having a chip on his shoulder. He uses it for motivation. So if somebody is going to say something, yeah, he doesn’t mind it. He’s just going to remember you. You’re on the quote-unquote ‘kill list.’ He’ll just think, ‘Cool, you’re on that side.’ And he remembers it. I think it’s been a very valuable tool for him. You’re looking at a kid out of high school that had only three offers. So it’s always been that way. I think he’s comfortable with that space.”

What are your favorite examples on what criticisms that Jalen processed the most and how he responded to that in real time?

Turner: “You can go to the last series [against Denver]. We didn’t speak directly on it. But to me, it was not a surprise that he responded. He had a game that people didn’t think was great [six points on 3-for-16 shooting in Game 6 loss]. Then he goes out and does it in the biggest one [24 points on 10-for-17 shooting in Game 7 win]. So it’s not like he didn’t see it or hear it. He knows. He also knows where he’s at now. He’s an All-Star. So he holds himself to a standard that is even higher than what people are thinking.

You’ve called Jalen ‘a true student of the game.’ To what extent does that extend into you two doing film work together?

Turner: “We do a lot of that. Personally, I’ll do scouts for him on specific matchups that he wants. We’re going through clips so much that sometimes two minutes after the game, he’s asking me, ‘Can you send me these clips?’ Then I get them for him and pull things in real time, if I can. That’s how much he loves this. That’s what is really special about this. A lot of guys say that they love the game. But Jalen truly does love this game. He is driven to be great at it. He wants to be held to that standard. He wants to see it. He wants to look at it. Whether it’s a make or a miss, he’s looking at it. He’s watching it. He holds himself to that bar.”

Is it a mix of certain clips of certain games, certain players and whole games? How does that work overall with your film study?

Turner: “Yeah, I’ll also do a scout on an individual. Teams are very much focused on team concepts and what they need to be doing. But I might go, ‘This specific player, when he gets into this, he may want to do these three things. In the last five games, he has done this part well. This is what we probably want him to take.’ So we’re looking at things from that level, too, just to get him more information on an individual’s preferred finish or if he prefers to move out of the pick and roll or what he is doing in transition the majority of the time. If he doesn’t have the ball, he’s going to be in the left corner or right corner. Or if he has the ball, he wants to make a move and get middle and go to this. So it’s about getting him more information. That’s how I look at it. He likes information. He likes to know. He then takes that into account with everything.”

What does his film study look like for preparing for his offensive role as a scorer and playmaker?

Turner: “We got the ‘Duffel Edition.’ He’ll send me a clip that he liked and I’ll put in some that I think he should look at because it’s something that he could add. We just call it the ‘Duffel.’ We just add it to the ‘Duffel.’”

Forgive me for my ignorance. What’s the ‘Duffel Edition?’

Turner: “Just a Duffel bag. We put everything in the bag. It’s the ‘Duffel Edition’ so we just add it to the ‘Duffel.’(laughs)”

Which players does he study in particular?

Turner: “That’s what is really unique. I don’t think there is really one guy. We go back and we’ll look at Kobe [Bryant]. But we’ll also look at guys that are playing and still in the league right now. Something might happen in real time. We’ll say, ‘You saw that one? Yeah, I like that one. That one was nice. We’ll add it to the Duffel for the offseason or a workout when I’m out there and try to find the time for that.’”

With Jalen playing with Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], obviously that’s a benefit with how great of a scorer Shai is and the attention he attracts. But what does Jalen do to prepare for that dynamic, knowing that Shai will look for his shot, but he will get the ball at some point on a moment’s notice?

Turner: “This is where his unique path here has really benefitted him. You’re looking at a kid who was undersized and small that played with the ball. Then he gets to college. He’s grown a little bit. But he’s not necessarily the go-to ball handler at Santa Clara earlier in his career. He’s playing off-the-ball a lot. So he has to cut. He has to move without the ball. He’s spotting up. He’s finding the gaps. His whole transition into becoming who he really is has really prepared him well for this. That’s where he has a real feel for it.

That’s a harder transition for a guy who has never been off ball. But he has. He has that feel. He knows when to cut. ‘Hey, my man just went so I got to go cut.’ Even right now in the playoffs, we put an emphasis on touching the paint. It doesn’t mean you got to go score. But touch the paint. That way you can make the defense collapse and make them pay in different ways. Then it will lead to good things when he touches the paint. So we put a bigger emphasis on that and not settling and let the game come naturally to him. I think he’s done a really good job with that.”

And defensively, the Thunder have so much depth. So given that Jalen is a great defender with Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace, how does Jalen approach with when to lock in on a defensive matchup, defer to them or hone in on team defense?

Turner: “I think it’s pretty seamless for him. That’s the thing that’s very unique. He takes real pride on that end of the ball. From the jump, this was the goal. Be one of the best two-way players in the league. That has been the goal from before he got here. That’s why this isn’t a surprise. He can do it. He’s capable. We had this goal. This is what he has been working toward. It’s just been holding him to that standard. It helps that you have a whole crew of guys that equally care about that side of the ball. It makes it really easy to compete with guys like that and guard one through five. You just want to help. You just want to impact the game. You want to make plays for your team.”

What’s the next step for Jalen?

Turner: “I think this is still just the beginning. I don’t think he’s anywhere near his ceiling. He wants to win. So hopefully part of that is answered in a month (laughs). That’s the short answer. But the thing that’s really unique too is he’s very present and he enjoys the moment. He loves an offseason. He wants to get better. And there are not a ton of guys that truly love it like that. So this is a guy who every year has made improvements. So that’s why I don’t think we’ve seen the end of that. He’s going to work that hard. He’s not going to be content with where he is, no matter what, even if they do win or they don’t. That’s what is so special about him. I wouldn’t put a cap on it at all here. There really still is a lot more out there for him.”