Thunder’s Jalen Williams Reinjures Right Hamstring
Jalen Williams excelled in his second game back from a leg injury but apparently didn’t come away unscathed.
The Thunder‘s second-leading scorer aggravated the same injury that sidelined him for 10 games, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Williams will be reevaluated after the All-Star break.
Williams sat out 10 games due to a right hamstring strain. He made a strong comeback on Monday, posting 23 points in 24 minutes against the Lakers. Williams was even more effective on Wednesday, racking up 28 points, five assists and four rebounds in just 20 minutes as Oklahoma City blew out Phoenix.
The 2025 All-Star and All-NBA Third Team selection has been limited to 26 games this season, averaging 17.5 points, 5.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 29 minutes per contest.
Thunder Notes: PPP, Topic, Williams, Boeheim
The NBA is looking at the Thunder for player absences in last Wednesday’s game against San Antonio, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, and Alex Caruso all missed that nationally televised game after having played the previous night vs. Orlando. With the exception of Gilgeous-Alexander, who has remained sidelined due to an abdominal strain, the others were all back in action for the Thunder’s next game on Saturday.
If a team plans to sit a player for one game in a back-to-back set, the NBA typically wants it to happen during the game that isn’t nationally televised, so the league will consider whether Oklahoma City violated its player participation policy (PPP). However, besides SGA, none of those Thunder players meet the “star” criteria, and Rylan Stiles of SI.com suggests (via Twitter) that all their health issues were legitimate, so we’ll see if anything comes of the investigation.
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- After missing his entire rookie season in 2024/25 due to a torn ACL and then undergoing treatment for testicular cancer this past fall, Thunder guard Nikola Topic made his G League debut on Monday. In his first game for the Oklahoma City Blue, the 20-year-old Serbian had seven points and seven assists in 16 minutes off the bench. “Great accomplishment,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said, per The Associated Press. “Just can’t say enough about him as a guy, his mental toughness, maturity, resilience. … He hasn’t played a lot of basketball over the last two years, and he comes off a one-year rehab and immediately has a surprising diagnosis and goes through chemotherapy, three rounds of it. So for him to work himself back onto the court is just an unbelievable accomplishment, and we’re incredibly happy for him.”
- Jalen Williams‘ return following a 10-game absence due to a hamstring strain was a success, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Williams scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help Oklahoma City secure a 119-110 road win over the Lakers. “He slammed the door on that game,” Daigneault said. “It was impressive. He’s got such a body of work that we’re not overly concerned with how he plays coming back. We’re just happy he’s back. … Obviously, he was huge tonight. We know he’s a big-time player.”
- Buddy Boeheim‘s new two-way contract with the Thunder will cover two seasons, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Boeheim joined the team last Friday, filling the roster opening created when the team waived Chris Youngblood, who had reached his 50-game limit.
Thunder’s Jalen Williams To Return On Monday
Thunder forward Jalen Williams will return to action on Monday after missing the team’s past 10 games due to a right hamstring strain, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Williams isn’t on Oklahoma City’s injury report for its game in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
It has been a stop-and-start season so far for Williams, who didn’t make his debut until November 28 after recovering from right wrist surgery. The 24-year-old appeared in the Thunder’s next 24 games before going down in Miami on January 17 with his latest injury.
In his 24 appearances, Williams has averaged 16.8 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 29.6 minutes per night, with a .470/.300/.833 shooting line. With a couple exceptions (his assists represent a career high), those numbers are down across the board from the ones he posted in his All-NBA campaign in 2024/25.
For most of ’25/26, Williams’ extended injury absences and his slight dip in production haven’t mattered for a deep Thunder team that won 24 of its first 25 games and still holds the NBA’s best record. However, the team has been struggling a little – at least by its lofty standards – as of late, with both Williams and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) sidelined.
Oklahoma City lost back-to-back games this week to the Spurs and Rockets without Gilgeous-Alexander and has now dropped five of its last eight games. Williams will be looking to help the club turn things around heading into the All-Star break — after Monday’s matchup with the Lakers, OKC will wrap up its pre-All-Star schedule by visiting Phoenix on Wednesday and then hosting the Bucks on Thursday.
Jalen Williams Has Right Hamstring Strain, Out At Least 2 Weeks
January 19: Williams’ right hamstring strain will be reevaluated “in a couple of weeks,” according to the team’s PR department (Twitter link via Martinez).
January 18, 3:06 pm: Williams has been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and will be out for Monday’s game at Cleveland, tweets Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. The Thunder are typically cagey about providing injury timelines, but based on the diagnosis, Williams seems likely to miss multiple weeks.
January 18, 9:30 am: Thunder forward Jalen Williams suffered a right leg injury during Saturday’s loss at Miami, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscription required). Williams was technically ruled out with what the team called right thigh soreness, but he grabbed at his hamstring when the injury occurred about halfway through the second quarter (YouTube link).
Williams was able to limp off the court on his own, but he was hunched over in pain and was holding the back of his right leg (where the hamstring is located) for most of his steps. Head coach Mark Daigneault said the 24-year-old will be checked out on Sunday, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
The former Santa Clara star was sidelined for the first 19 games of the 2025/26 campaign after undergoing a pair of surgeries on his right wrist. Williams has made 24 appearances so far this season, averaging 16.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 29.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .470/.300/.833.
The fourth-year wing earned numerous accolades in ’24/25, making his first All-Star, All-NBA (third team) and All-Defensive (second team) appearances. He played a key role in helping Oklahoma City win the 2025 NBA Finals.
Williams didn’t talk to reporters after Saturday’s game, but he did make an ominous post on Instagram about the possible severity of the injury, per Andrew Schlect of The Athletic (Twitter link). The post is an image of a child in a toilet attempting to flush himself.
In another subscriber-only story for The Oklahoman, Martinez notes that Chet Holmgren will likely take on a larger scoring role if Williams misses additional time due to the leg injury.
Injury Notes: F. Wagner, Green, Curry, Williams
The Magic are gearing up for a game against the Grizzlies in Berlin. Their German star, Franz Wagner, is hoping that he can make his return from injury by then, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
“I feel good,” Wagner said. “I’ve been working really hard the last couple of weeks to get back as soon as I can. Hopefully that will be in Berlin. But regardless of if I play or not, it’s going to be just a true full circle moment for Mo [Wagner] and I.”
Wagner has missed the last 16 games for Orlando, including Sunday’s 128-118 win over the Pelicans, as he recovers from a high ankle sprain. In his 24 games played this season, he has averaged 22.7 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds.
“Growing up going as little kids to that gym to watch the pros play and now bring the NBA game there, is pretty special for us,” Wagner said. “So we’re just going to the try and enjoy every second of it, take it all in and appreciate the opportunity.”
The Magic are currently tied with the Cavs for the sixth seed with a record of 22-18, and are hoping that Wagner’s return can help them start to move back up the standings.
We have more injury news from around the league:
- Jalen Green continued ramping up his on-court work on Friday with the Suns‘ coaching staff, writes Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “You’re going to feel some general soreness just by getting out there on the court and that’s normal,” coach Jordan Ott said prior to Phoenix’s game against the Knicks. “That’s not specific to the injury. He’s got to keep going. He’s going to have to fight through some that overall just soreness back on the court. Now he’s getting bodies. The beating and banging with the bodies and know we’re right there. Got to get across the finish line.” Ott noted that Green will be on a minutes restriction when he returns, but that he’s expected to start. “He’s been out for multiple months. There’s obviously going to be some type of target range or number that we try to get him to,” Ott said. “He’ll definitely be in the starting lineup as soon as he gets back and ready to go. We need his speed, his ability to attack off the dribble. We need him, but we need him healthy.”
- Seth Curry has missed the last 12 games with a sciatic nerve-related injury and he’s not expected to be back on the court for the Warriors anytime soon. According to the team (Twitter link), Curry has been working with Golden State’s training staff and will be reevaluated in two weeks. He has played just two games for the Warriors this year, both at the start of December. In his season debut, he scored 14 points in just under 18 minutes while hitting six of his seven shots.
- Jalen Williams wore a heated glove on his shooting wrist when he was on the bench during the Thunder‘s win over the Heat on Sunday, reports Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (via Twitter). Williams is still feeling the effects of the hand surgery that sidelined him for the start of the season, and expects that will be the case for a while. “This injury is not something where you get it, have two hand surgeries and then it’s, ‘Alright, you’re good to go,'” he said. “It’s something over the course of a year, a year and a half and having summers to really figure it out, where it’ll be really back to normal.”
Thunder Notes: SGA, J-Dub, Win Mark, Caruso, Topic
While the Thunder were disappointed to drop Saturday’s game to San Antonio — Oklahoma City’s first loss in five-plus weeks — they were more focused on areas of improvement afterward rather than hanging their heads, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“Personally, I think it’s exciting,” superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s easier to learn when you don’t feel the way you want to feel. It stings a little bit more.
“We’ll also see these guys [twice in the next five] games. So, it will be a good challenge. Kind of like an automatic test, almost like in school. You fail the test, you get to retest a couple days later. That’s what it will probably feel like. Losing is where you find growth and where you really get better.”
Oklahoma City had its preferred starting lineup available on Saturday for the first time since the team won the championship in June, MacMahon notes. The Thunder were up 16 points late in the second quarter, but the Spurs rallied before halftime and wound up winning by two points.
Gilgeous-Alexander took responsibility for his part in the team’s “stagnant” offense — he finished with a game-high 29 points but also committed a season-high five turnovers.
“We can’t be spoiled,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per MacMahon. “We can’t think we’re above anything. Us, along with every team in the league, if you show up on a night and don’t do the necessary thing to win, you probably won’t win, no matter how talented or no matter what your record looks like. That was the case for us tonight.”
Here’s more on the defending champions:
- The Thunder went 68-14 last season and won the NBA championship. However, they fell in the final of last year’s NBA Cup and were eliminated in the semifinals on Saturday. Star forward Jalen Williams, who finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals but shot just 5-of-17 from the field, admitted the team was hoping to add to its trophy case, relays Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Yeah, it’s frustrating,” said Williams. “There’s perspective on it, for sure. I think an average team would probably be like, ‘Oh, it’s the Cup, whatever, we lost one.’ What are we, 24-2? I mean, we can go home and just hang our hat on that, or we can look at it as a way to get better and understand that we played against a playoff team that beat us and gave us a two on our (loss record). So that’s how we’ll look at it from a competitive standpoint.”
- Entering Saturday’s game, the Thunder were tied with the 2015/16 Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history. Golden State went on to break Chicago’s regular season win mark by compiling a 73-9 record, but fell in the 2016 NBA Finals to Cleveland. As MacMahon writes for ESPN.com, Gilgeous-Alexander said on Friday that it would “absolutely” be meaningful if the Thunder were able to break the Warriors’ record, but he also cautioned that the team was more focused on repeating as champions and continuing to make day-to-day improvements.
- The reigning MVP was asked about the win record again after Saturday’s loss, according to Vardon. “Seventy-three and nine? I mean, the position we’re in right now, what are we, 24-2? My goal is to get better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “So if we get better than what we are now, that should take care of itself. That’s kind of how I see it. Goals to me are pointless trying to reach at when they are so far away. You have to take care of everything step-by-step, and tonight we didn’t. If we stack nights like we did tonight, we won’t even come close to it.”
- Veteran guard Alex Caruso was one of the standouts for the Thunder in Saturday’s loss, observes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscription required). On a night in which the offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders, Caruso did his best to will the team to victory in crunch time, Martinez writes, recording seven points, three rebounds and two steals in eight fourth-quarter minutes. The two-time champion finished with 11 points (on 5-of-9 shooting), eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, with the Thunder outscoring the Spurs by 22 points in his 24 minutes.
- Williams was recently asked about 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic, who is undergoing treatment for testicular cancer. The Serbian guard missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL prior to the cancer diagnosis this fall. “He doesn’t come in like, ‘It sucks.’ He’s going in, working out and shooting and trying to get better, which is insane to me. … He’s been really strong about the situation. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself,” Williams said of Topic (Twitter link via Martinez).
Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray Named Players Of The Week
Celtics wing Jaylen Brown and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, the league announced on Monday (via Twitter).
Brown won for the Eastern Conference, while Murray claimed the award in the Western Conference.
Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP, led Boston to an unblemished 3-0 record in games he played from December 1-7. He sat out the Dec. 4 contest at Washington, which the Celtics won by 45 points. The 29-year-old averaged 34.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steal on .538/.471/.889 shooting in three appearances last week (37.7 minutes per game).
A Georgia native who played one season of college ball for California, Brown is well on his way to making his fifth All-Star game in 2025/26. He’s averaging career highs of 29.1 PPG and 4.9 APG while also contributing 6.2 RPG and 1.1 SPG through 23 contests (33.7 MPG).
Murray, meanwhile, helped guide Denver to a 3-1 record last week. The 28-year-old Canadian averaged 29.8 PPG, 7.5 APG, 4.5 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .595/.621/.929 shooting in four appearances (33.8 MPG).
Murray is off to a fantastic start to the season himself and appears well-positioned to make his first All-Star appearance. Through 22 games (35.0 MPG), he’s averaging 25.0 PPG, 6.8 APG and 4.5 RPG — all career highs — with an elite shooting line of .506/.447/.898.
According to the NBA, De’Aaron Fox (Spurs), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams (Thunder), and Murray’s teammate Nikola Jokic were the other nominees in the West (Twitter link). Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Jalen Johnson (Hawks), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers), Michael Porter Jr. (Nets), and Brown’s teammate Derrick White were nominated in the East.
Northwest Notes: J. Williams, Randle, Holiday, Thybulle, Bailey
Jalen Williams was back on the court Friday night, adding another weapon to the Thunder’s already-potent lineup, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Returning to the starting lineup in his season debut, Williams scored 11 points in 29 minutes and handed out eight assists as Oklahoma City defeated Phoenix to advance to the next round of NBA Cup competition.
“Just pass the ball to the guys who’ve been playing was the goal for tonight,” Williams told reporters. “I’m also joining a team that’s 18-1 up until when I played, so you try to fit in a little bit offensively and not mess up the rotations. And then obviously (Isaiah Hartenstein) and Ajay (Mitchell) don’t play tonight either, so it’s like now our rotations are even more different. I’m just trying to pick and choose spots and mesh with what the team is doing.”
Friday marked the end of a long recovery process for Williams, who underwent surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in early July, shortly after the end of the NBA Finals. He needed a second procedure in late October to take out a screw that was causing irritation.
Martinez notes that Williams, who was a second-team All-Defensive selection last season, displayed his versatility in Friday’s game by serving as the primary defender on 10 different Phoenix players, ranging from point guard Collin Gillespie to center Mark Williams. He held them to a combined 3-of-14 from the field.
“Defense is very easy compared to offense, especially when you lose your right hand for five months,” Williams added. “I can always play hard defensively and figure it out from there. It’s going to take some time (with shooting). Like I said, I haven’t played in forever. … I’m still trying to figure my way out through my jump shot and dribbling and trying to get my touch back. That’s just something that’s got to progress throughout the season. But defensively, my feet feel fine and my wind is actually really good. I can always do that.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Timberwolves coach Chris Finch plans to expand Julius Randle‘s role in the offense, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).“We need to put him more in the heart of what we’re doing,” Finch said at Friday’s practice, “and that’s a lot of things we worked on today.”
- Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter said Jrue Holiday is “getting better” as he works his way back from a calf injury that has sidelined him for the past seven games, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. Holiday was able to participate in some non-contact drills at Saturday’s practice, but hasn’t received full clearance from the medical staff. Splitter added that Matisse Thybulle, who is recovering from thumb surgery and hasn’t played since October 26, is doing some shooting and ball-handling work, but also hasn’t been cleared for full contact.
- Jazz rookie forward Ace Bailey is considered day-to-day after suffering a bruise on his right knee in Friday’s game, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
Thunder’s Jalen Williams To Make Season Debut Friday
Thunder star Jalen Williams will make his 2025/26 season debut on Friday against Phoenix, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.
Williams underwent surgery at the start of July to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist that bothered him throughout the 2025 postseason. The 24-year-old wing required a second procedure in late October to remove a screw that was causing irritation.
Head coach Mark Daigneault referred to Williams as “day-to-day” prior to Wednesday’s game. According to Charania, Oklahoma City take a “patient and cautious” approach to Williams’ return to the lineup.
The 12th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Williams earned his first All-Star, All-NBA (third team) and All-Defensive (second team) nods during the ’24/25 campaign, which culminated in the Thunder winning their first championship following a nail-biting seven-game NBA Finals against Indiana.
Despite multiple players — including Williams — being sidelined to open the season, the Thunder hold the best record in the NBA at 18-1 and currently have the best point differential (+16.5) in league history, Charania notes.
Williams is no longer eligible for major postseason awards due to the 65-game rule. He’s making $6.6MM in ’25/26, which is the final year of his rookie contract. That will jump to a projected $41.5MM in ’26/27, when his five-year max rookie scale extension kicks in.
Northwest Notes: J. Williams, Presti, Wolves, C. Williams
In Wednesday’s pregame press conference, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault offered an update on Jalen Williams‘ progress as he recovers from wrist surgery, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. There’s still no timetable for Williams to resume playing, but Daigneault said he’s maintaining a positive attitude while working his way through rehab.
“Day-to-day, and he’s doing a great job,” Daigneault said. “There’s so much invisible work that goes into a return to play that you guys don’t get the opportunity to see and we don’t even get the opportunity to see.”
Oklahoma City has remained on top of the league without Williams, carrying a 17-1 record into tonight’s game against Minnesota. The fourth-year forward was a third-team All-NBA and second-team All-Defensive selection last season, but he’s ineligible for any postseason honors this year because he has already missed too many games.
Daigneault said he got a first-hand look at Williams’ rehab efforts when he arrived at the practice facility at 8:15 am Wednesday and saw the 24-year-old doing physical therapy work in preparation for an on-court workout.
“That’s the work you have to put in day after day without the immediate carrot of playing when you’re going through a rehab,” Daigneault added. “But that’s why having guys with the maturity that we have is so important. (Thomas) Sorber has done a great job with that. (Nikola) Topic has done a great job with that. Chet (Holmgren) has done it a couple of different times. (Williams) is doing it just the way we want him to do it.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Thunder general manager Sam Presti took inspiration from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Caro in building a championship roster, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Caro has written numerous historical works, including an in-depth profile of Lyndon Johnson’s time in the U.S. Senate. “One of my favorite authors, Robert Caro, has a great saying about research, where he says, ‘You have to turn every single page,’ and I really like that relative to what it is that we have to do in order to discover the team,” Presti said. “We have to really understand and go through every iteration to ensure that we’re not shutting off potential pathways that could really help us or get us to another level, whether it’s now or in the future. … I think by turning every page, you give yourself every opportunity.”
- After letting games slip away against Sacramento and Phoenix, Timberwolves guard Mike Conley led a team dinner Tuesday night where several issues were discussed, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). Julius Randle described the gathering as “not optional.”
- The Jazz have sent 2024 first-round pick Cody Williams to the G League, the team’s Salt Lake City affiliate announced (via Twitter). Williams’ playing time has been declining lately — he logged just three minutes in Sunday’s game and was a DNP-CD on Monday.