Jalen Williams’ Injury Opens Up Major Flaws for Oklahoma City

The Jalen Williams Situation

J-Dub is expected to miss the early games this season. His wrist injury took place near the final games of the previous season. He opted to play through the pain in the 2025 playoffs, which explains his inconsistent performances. Williams did have a 40-bomb in the pivotal Game 5 of the NBA Finals, though, and it was a stunner.

Still, the Thunder guard underwent surgery this offseason and has been recovering since. He was seen playing in the preseason, but was shooting with his off-hand. The decision to sit him out until he’s 100% is definitely ideal. After all, Oklahoma City did not push to accelerate Chet Holmgren‘s return from injury last season, and it yielded better results.

A healthy Holmgren made a strong season debut Tuesday night, finishing with 28 points on 11-17 shooting. But if Williams’ recovery is pushed too soon, his wrist may get re-aggravated. Sitting him a wise decision, but it has opened holes in the Thunder’s overall game.

The Shining Flaws Without J-Dub

The Thunder are an elite team that improve every single day. They continue to grow with each other and become more connected as time goes by. However, missing key pieces in games is proof that availability is indeed the best ability. With Williams out, there have been some flaws on OKC’s front that the Rockets have seriously exposed.

1. Rotational Weakness – Chet and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took turns to carry the load, and so when the time came that both players had to rest, the Thunder gameplan was stagnant. In most games, it’s always J-Dub who gets to supplant SGA whenever he sits. Holmgren is carrying a bigger load for the first time, so this is something OKC needs to work out in the long run. If Williams will be out for longer than expected, this is a fatal flaw.
2. Sizing Issues – The Thunder added Isaiah Hartenstein to add some size into their lineup. But the Rockets were way bigger than they were, even with both IHart and Chet playing at the same time. Jalen Williams, however, adds additional length to the Thunder, being able to play the five at times. Without him, Oklahoma City needs to rotate straight to a slower, bulkier Jaylin Williams, or push in Alex Caruso earlier than his actual minutes.
3. The Stagnant Offense – OKC takes pride in having a bigger energy than most teams, which runs from their defense turning into offense. Williams is a huge part of that, and one can say that the team feeds off the level of energy he injects on the floor for the Thunder, leading to those scoring avalanches and blowout wins.

What Can the Thunder Do Without J-Dub?

Fortunately, the Thunder can rest easy heading into the schedule. After all, this is just one game. The team is barely shaking off the rust coming off a break. And come to think of it, their “next man up” mentality is truly paying off than most people would expect. In fact, we saw sparks of potential from both Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell in that win against Houston.

Wallace dropped 14 points on 50% shooting, along with seven boards, five assists, and four steals. Mitchell also shot 50% and finished with 16 points. Both Thunder guards had impressive minutes in action, and they are definitely capable of filling the gaps that J-Dub offers while he continues to recover.

Chill out, Thunder fans. This is not as huge of a concern as you expect it to be. If anything, it only shows just how deep the OKC bench can be, and how the expectations are even bigger with the team seeking to repeat as champions. A lot of injuries didn’t hold them back last year, and Jalen Williams missing a few games to begin the season would not hurt. In fact, it may even turn the tide in their favor once more.