Jalen Williams
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Jalen Williams hasn't suited up for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season because of a wrist injury.
All-Star forward Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder will miss some time with a right hamstring sprain. Williams left Saturday night’s game against the Miami Heat during the second quarter once showing discomfort. Oklahoma City defined the injury as “right thigh soreness” last night but today saw the confirmation of a hamstring sprain causing him to miss more time.
Williams will be out indefinitely, as the Thunder did not list any return date nor did they say he’ll be examined again after a set time. Oklahoma City has already ruled Williams out for Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The term “indefinitely” for an NBA injury usually means the player will miss at least a week and more often miss a couple of weeks before they are ready to return.
A right wrist injury forced Williams to miss the first nineteen games of the season and have a later start than most players. Last year’s All-Star appearance will see Williams not making it this season due to the injuries and missed time preventing any realistic chance of getting his second selection.
Jalen Williams Was Already Frustrated
Last week saw Williams talking about his slow start to the season and the difficulty of getting back to full strength after such a long delay. Williams’ early season injury didn’t hurt the Thunder’s hot start with a great record, but it has made Jalen look less impressive than fans remembered last season.
The following comment from Williams was quite honest:
“I mean, it sucks. It’s a very annoying process. Nobody is going to be more frustrated than me when shots are short. This injury is not something where you get two hand surgeries and you’re good to go. It’s over the course of over the year, a year and a half, and have summers to really figure it out.”
Another injury happening before Williams was fully back to feeling like himself will present some problems moving forward. Oklahoma City must continue winning without Williams, but he’ll have another return process of getting back into the routine of playing big minutes every night.
Can Thunder Survive Missing Jalen Williams?
Oklahoma City went 18-1 during Williams’ time out of the lineup in the early season’s start. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren led the Thunder to great success with an all-time great dominant start. However, no team is better off without a talent like Williams in the lineup.
The recent month has seen Oklahoma City still hold the best record, but they no longer look significantly above the rest of the league. Early discussions about the Thunder breaking the regular season wins record no longer holds the same momentum after some tough losses.
Williams is extremely important to Oklahoma City and must be healthy come playoff time for the team to have a strong chance as repeating as NBA Champions. The indefinite label means the Thunder will have to win some tough games without him, but his return will be the more important news. Williams must return and fit into the lineup for Oklahoma City to hit their full potential.