Daigneault confident Holmgren, Jalen Williams will bounce back - ESPN

OKLAHOMA CITY — It was a disappointing NBA Finals debut for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, the 2022 lottery picks who are major pieces of the Oklahoma City Thunder's foundation.

Holmgren and Williams combined for 23 points on 8-of-28 shooting in Oklahoma City's 111-110 Game 1 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

While expressing confidence in the Thunder's young stars' ability to bounce back, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault made a point to put the challenges Holmgren and Williams are facing in perspective.

«Usually delivering in the Finals is not on the curriculum for third-year players, and they have thrust themselves into that situation, which is a credit to them,» Daigneault said after Saturday's practice. «Now that they are here, they have to continue to do what they have done all the way through the playoffs, which is go out there, fully compete, learn the lessons and apply it forward.

»And they have done a great job of that. I think you've seen that over the course of the playoffs. They haven't always played their best game, but they always get themselves ready to play the next one."

Williams, 24, a third-team All-NBA selection who also earned a second-team All-Defensive spot, averaged 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game during the Thunder's run through the Western Conference playoffs.

However, Williams endured rough patches during that run, particularly a 10-of-43 shooting slump over a three-game span in the West semifinals against the Denver Nuggets. He busted out of that funk by scoring 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting in the Thunder's Game 7 blowout win and averaged 22.2 points in the West finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, highlighted by a career-playoff-high 34 points in Game 4