Jalen Williams to make season debut, will make Thunder even scarier

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 2024-25 campaign, which culminated in the Thunder winning their first championship following a nail-biting seven-game NBA Finals against Indiana.

Thunder are the best team in the NBA

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 $6.6M in 2025-26, which is the final year of his rookie contract. That will jump to a projected $41.5M in 2026-27, when his five-year max rookie-scale extension kicks in.