OKC Thunder star Jalen Williams underwent surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist back on July 1. Now, over three months later, it appears he's still nowhere near full strength.
At least, that's the feeling J-Dub gave off during a recent sit-down with Complex News, as he told interviewer Mike DeStefano that he's "still pretty deep into it" as far as his recovery is concerned.
Thunder star Jalen Williams still a ways away from returning to full health
Granted, this update shouldn't come as all that great of a shock to Thunder fans, especially when considering the fact that he literally compared his wrist movement at Media Day to the feeling of when you try to bend Laffy Taffy after putting it in the freezer.
However, hearing him say just how much his recovery still "sucks" and that it unfortunately made him move on from the NBA Championship celebrations rather quickly as a result of the operation and rehab certainly doesn't lead fans to believe that they'll be seeing the 100 percent version of Williams returning to the hardwood anytime soon.
Last season, the Santa Clara product put forth easily his best campaign as a pro, as he dropped sensational all-around averages of 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and just shy of a block per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor and 36.5 percent shooting from deep.
Along the way, he also established himself as one of the game's most versatile defenders, as he proved capable of guarding any player from the one down to the five while earning All-Defensive honors in the process.
Unfortunately, when hobbled by his wrist injury throughout the postseason, Williams was clearly far from his All-Star and All-NBA self, especially in the efficiency department, as he shot just 44.9 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from deep.
Both percentages dropped even farther to 43.3 from the floor and 26.7 from distance during their seven-game NBA Finals series against the Pacers, while his plus-minus went from a +6.6 during the regular season to a -3.0.
Through five Thunder preseason games, Williams has yet to log a single minute of action. Up to this point, he has also been held out from the contact portions of practices while predominantly working individually on the sidelines.
With less than a week to go until their October 21 opener against the Houston Rockets, there's still no official word on whether the 24-year-old will be made available. However, based on these latest remarks, odds are, Thunder fans won't be seeing Williams for a while, and, even if he is cleared to return, he'll still be a ways away from pre-injury form.