The Oklahoma City Thunder finished off a dominant season by winning the 2025 NBA championship. Mark Daigneault's team was led by 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-NBA forward Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. While the team played through bumps and bruises, Williams finally got surgery for a right wrist injury suffered during the Thunder's postseason run.
Luckily for Daigneault and the rest of the Oklahoma City organization, Williams has a chance to return before the beginning of the 2025-26 season. According to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, he will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks after a successful surgery.
The first-time All-Star played through the pain throughout the Western Conference playoffs. While the injury affected his shooting hand, the third year pro did not use it as an excuse. He told reporters during the second round that while he was not at 100% health, his wrist was not impeding his ability to get shots up.
“That's not the reason why I'm making or missing shots,” Williams said. “It hasn't affected anything that's been going on.”
Williams has grown from a lottery pick into a key piece of the Thunder's future. After Gilgeous-Alexander's record-breaking contract, Williams and Holmgren are the next in line.
Daigneault and Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti want to keep the core of the team together. The Thunder have already made a move to open up a roster spot, sending Dillon Jones to the Washington Wizards. After winning the first championship in franchise history, Oklahoma City focused on making it back-to-back titles.
Despite the fact that Williams has plenty of time to recover, wrist injuries are a big deal. However, the Thunder have experience playing without their best players. Both Isaiah Hartenstein and Holmgren missed long periods of time last season and Oklahoma City weathered the storm. Not having Williams at their disposal is a problem, but Daigneault has shown that he can deal with it.
After a successful surgery, the attention turns towards Williams' recovery. The forward has months to get healthy before next year's regular season kicks off. The Thunder would like to have him back by then in order to send a message to the rest of the Western Conference.
The Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks have been the darlings of the NBA offseason so far. However, other teams in the West have made significant moves to take Oklahoma City down.
The Thunder are still favorites to win next year's title. Fortunately for them, Williams figures to be completely healthy and ready to go when the season kicks off.