Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams' return from wrist surgery has been marred by ups and downs, as the All-NBA forward settles into the most challenging season of his career. Williams, who scored 26 and 18 points in the Thunder's latest outings, went 9-for-13 in Sunday's 124-112 win against the Miami Heat.
Williams has also seen the flak he's received on social media for his inconsistent scoring, which he addressed during his postgame media availability after the Thunder's victory over the Heat on Sunday.
“I thought I was my biggest critic. It might be Twitter,” Williams said. “I just take it day by day. Mark's been good at just saying it's going to take time. What I have is not like [something], 100 people running around with this injury, nor do they have that many people who had to do the surgery twice. So, it's one of those things that I can look at as a new opportunity to show people that end up having to go through it at some point that it's possible to maneuver through it.
“So, that's how I've been looking at it. Like all things, it takes time. But I'll figure it out. I'll be able to manage and get everything else going.”
Williams also finished with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the Thunder's 12-point win against the Heat.
“I feel like I can do a lot of things on the court. I can still score, obviously, as we've been seeing throughout this span,” Williams added. “Not too worried about it or hyper-fixated on it. I just gotta let it do its thing and keep putting in the work like I usually do.”
Williams has been shooting at a plus-50 percent in his last two games. He's shooting at a 52.4% clip in January while averaging 18.7 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.8 steals through his first six games of 2026.
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Jalen Williams reveals ‘frustrated' process since wrist surgeries
Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams (8) and guard Ajay Mitchell (25) celebrate after scoring against the Miami Heat during the second half at Paycom Center
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
After leading the Thunder to a 21-point comeback victory against the Grizzlies, Jalen Williams expressed frustration amid a long-term recovery process from undergoing two surgeries to repair torn ligaments in his right wrist. From the outset, Williams has preached patience since his season debut, a message that still stands 21 games into the 2025-26 campaign.
“It sucks — it’s a very annoying process,” Williams said. “Nobody’s going to be more frustrated than me when shots are short, when they’re not, but it’s just one of those things I’ve learned throughout the game. And it’s not like I’m on a bad team, where I come and jack 40 shots, and figure it out that way. Again, this injury is not something that you get; you have two hand surgeries, and you’re good to go.
“It’s something over the course of a year or a year and a half, and having the summers to really figure it out, where it’ll be really back to normal. It’s just one of those things you just figure out in the game, and I’ll be able to be effective in other ways, and not focus on it. That’s my biggest thing; there are so many other things I can be doing to affect the game than score and play defense,” Williams concluded.
The Thunder will look to extend its three-game winning streak against the Spurs on Tuesday.