Oklahoma City will be hoping for some internal development next season, and its All-Star needs to get back in a groove from beyond the arc.

While next season is still roughly four months away, the work being put in throughout the offseason will have a significant impact on how the 2026-27 season will look. The Thunder will again be among the favorites to bring home an NBA title, and their All-Star forward could help them by finding his 3-point shot ahead of next season.

Between Jalen Williams’ wrist surgery that kept him out to begin last season to all of his hamstring issues that lingered through the playoffs, a healthy year is all the Thunder are hoping for in 2027. Of course, Williams is still a young player with abundant potential, and he is still looking to improve his game and become a better player.

One of the clearest ways he could improve from last season is a better performance from beyond the arc. In 2025-26, Williams shot 29.9% from three on 2.3 attempts per game. 

Of course, it was nearly impossible for him to get into a rhythm throughout the season, given his abundance of missed games and the adjustment to the feel of his shooting hand after his right wrist injury and offseason surgery.

Still, it was a piece of Williams’ game that the Thunder missed on the floor for most of the year. Sure, Williams is always going to give Oklahoma City elite defense and will be a downhill threat on the other end, but his ability to nail open threes opens up things for the rest of the team.

In 2024, Williams had his best shooting year, nailing 42.7% of his 3.4 shots per game. Following that with a 36.5% clip on a career-high 4.9 shots a night, Williams’ significant dropoff last season was a bit disappointing, even if most of that can be attributed to his wrist injury.

Given his 30.4% clip on five attempts per game in the 2025 title run, the dropoff this season shouldn’t have been a huge surprise. Still, he found a bit of a groove in his limited action in the 2026 playoffs, shooting 5-of-12 from beyond the arc, which could be a step in the right direction. 

Finding consistency and volume from 3-point range will be a tall task for Williams next season, but it should be a priority for Oklahoma City to get him going from outside once again.