Thunder spark Jalen Williams returns, injecting much-needed offense and playmaking to boost a slumping Oklahoma City lineup.
Oklahoma City Thunder fans received some very good news during the first half of the Super Bowl snoozefest on Sunday night.
Thunder All-Star/All-NBA/All-Defense jack of all trades Jalen Williams is set to return after missing the last 10 games. The 24 year old star strained his hamstring against the Miami Heat back on January 17 and his absence has been felt on the court and in the win loss column.
The Thunder are on a current two game losing streak. Not coincidentally, reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been injured the past two games with an abdominal strain that will be re-evaluated after the All-Star Break. OKC has also been without primary bench creator and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Ajay Mitchell the last eight contests. Oklahoma City has been in dire need of creation, ball handling and playmaking lately.
Enter Jalen Williams.
OKC would miss Williams regardless of situation. He is an elite talent on both sides of the court. But the former Santa Clara product has been especially needed with Gilgeous-Alexander and Mitchell both out. Williams will immediately take over the reins as the Thunder's offensive engine. His ability to create a shot both for himself and for his teammates will create scoring opportunities that OKC lacked in the back to back losses against the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
To be clear, the other players on the Thunder roster showed true grit and fight in those tight, competitive defeats. But having a player of Williams' talent and scoring gravity should allow the rest of the team to settle back into roles they are more used to playing.
Most NBA analysts assumed Williams would remain out until after the All-Star Break. The fact that he is coming back sooner than anticipated may have some Thunder nervous. If it helps put any minds at east, Oklahoma City historically errs on the cautious and conservative side of injuries and would not bring him back unless they were certain he was ready to return to play.
The Thunder are starting to get more of their players off the injury report. They even added a new player, Jared McCain, to the rotation in their last game. Now they'll welcome back Jalen Williams on Monday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. Hopefully we'll see this team fully healthy coming out of the All-Star Break because despite having the best record in the NBA, the Thunder have not yet been at full strength this season.
Which is an ominous thought for the rest of the league.