With Jalen Williams potentially sidelined, who rises to fill his production?
The Thunder took care of business in Game 2 against the Phoenix Suns, but the victory came at a cost. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander landed on his left hand early and winced throughout the game, while Cason Wallace was a little shaken up after landing awkwardly. Both players remained in the contest, and neither injury appears to be a serious issue moving forward.
However, Jalen Williams exited early at the end of the third quarter with a left hamstring injury that he suffered while attempting a shot at the basket. It’s yet another bad stroke of luck for Williams. He missed the first 19 games of the season while recovering from offseason wrist surgery, strained his right hamstring on Jan. 17 and then re-injured the same hamstring on Feb. 11. The former All-Star cannot catch a break.
With Williams’ status in doubt, who needs to step up if he misses time?
Ajay Mitchell: Mitchell averaged 20 points and 6.8 assists per 75 possessions across the 724 minutes that he played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this regular season. The sophomore is Oklahoma City’s best ball handler and half-court creator outside of its stars, so he’s the key to the Thunder surviving the non-Gilgeous-Alexander minutes until Jalen Williams returns to action. Mitchell needs to orchestrate pick-and-rolls, generate paint touches and score efficiently on self-created looks. If he can keep the offense afloat by relentlessly attacking the paint, then the champs should have no issues until they face stiffer competition.
Isaiah Joe: Oklahoma City’s shot quality during the non-Gilgeous-Alexander minutes will take a hit even if Mitchell thrives. It’s an unavoidable consequence of losing a player of Williams’ caliber. Therefore, the Thunder must knock down more contested shots than usual. Isaiah Joe is primed to step up because he’s an elite perimeter shooter who barely needs any space to launch. Barrages of triples from Joe would reduce the risk of extended cold streaks and also allow Oklahoma City’s defense to get set, thus making it more difficult for opponents to go on runs.
Kenrich Williams: Jalen Williams’ size, length and explosiveness will be missed on the defensive end, especially since Oklahoma City does not have other big wings in the playoff rotation. Kenrich Williams may absorb some of the lost minutes because he has size and can guard physical forwards or smaller centers like Dillon Brooks and Oso Ighodaro. Williams’ defensive rebounding is also helpful because Phoenix has grabbed 29 offensive rebounds through two games.