OKC Thunder: Jaylin Williams Speaks on Bond with Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren

It's definitely noticeable that Jaylin Williams is one of the bigger cogs in the machine in terms of the Thunder's togetherness and chemistry.

Always with a big smile on his face, even if he may've not had the best outing, hyping up his teammates, constantly making postgame interview appearances and just being an overall happy spirit on the team. It goes a long way, and team chemistry is something that Oklahoma City has been locked in on for the whole season – it's easy to tell how much this group enjoys each other both on and off the court, and Williams seems to always be at the center of it.

Even though taking a step back in his role on this near-top team in the Western Conference, his unmatched energy is never relinquished.

Before Oklahoma City's nationally televised contest versus Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Williams' playful personality was on display as usual in morning shootaround – giving Josh Giddey grief for having his feet set too close to the 3-point line.

"We're just joking around," Williams said of his teasing with Giddey.

"Me and Gidd, we just give each other crap. Before practice, we'll wrestle with each other, push each other around, joke about something – somebody missed a shot, yell something out."

You don't necessarily have to see these type of quotes to realize that's the type of relationship he has with the majority of the players on this team – his teasing, shenanigans are what comes along with his personality. It's informal, and it's seemingly a reason that this group is so close with one another.

And in his second season in the league, he now has a couple rookies to pick on. Especially in his relationship with his front court partner-in-crime Chet Holmgren.

"It's fun. I'm not used to being the four... Just knowing we always have a guy down there that's willing to go down there and block his shots," Williams said on Holmgen's defensive gravity.

"He was injured the whole last year and even when was rolling out in the gym on his scooter, he was yelling out saying, 'Let's play ones when I'm back. Let's play fives.'"

This type of connection is infectious for everybody on the team, and leaks out onto the court as well.

And down the stretch, certainly into the playoffs, this young and relatively inexperienced Thunder squad will need that camaraderie and goofiness to keep them grounded and in unison.

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.