The Oklahoma City Thunder had to watch the painful reality of Jalen Williams getting carted off late in Sunday’s game.
That wasn’t their first injury trouble of the night, though. Both Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams had already left the game hurt, too.
The Thunder went on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers anyway by a 108-101 score. Oklahoma City is now 3-0 on the season.
But this is the kind of painful night that can really set a team back.
What Happened to Cason Wallace?
Wallace was hurt attempting to go through a screen in the first quarter.
He appeared to injure his left shoulder, which gave the visual impression of potentially being dislocated.
Wallace didn’t come back into the game after the first quarter.
What Happened to Jaylin Williams?
The other Williams on the Thunder hurt his hand early in the game.
He, like Wallace, didn’t play beyond the early stages of Sunday’s game.
OKC Thunder Injury Update
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault basically said that the Thunder would provide more information on these absences on Monday.
This is what beat writer Brandon Rahbar shared on X after the game:
Mark Daigneault was asked if there’s any updates on the JDub, JWill and Cason Wallace injuries tonight:
“No updates. Obviously Jalen, that one speaks for itself.”
Daigneault says that as far as Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams, the team will update tomorrow.
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) October 26, 2026
Who Gets More Minutes?
The injury to Jalen Williams happened late on Sunday, so there wasn’t much time to see how the Thunder adjusted to that.
But with Wallace and Jaylin Williams both leaving early, there are some hints on the stat sheet.
Three bench players got more than 20 minutes: Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain.
The Thunder then gave rookie center Aday Mara 14 minutes, and Kenrich Williams also got seven minutes on the inside.
And in the interests of more potential point guard playing time being available, rookie Bennett Stirtz got 11 minutes on Sunday night.
It’s not great timing for the Thunder to have all these injuries, because they’ve got a back-to-back to complete on Monday night at home against the Phoenix Suns.
That does mean, though, that OKC can’t hide from injury realities for long. They’ll have to share some updates sooner rather than later.
Even if Jalen Williams is out for a while, the Thunder will be hoping Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams are doing a bit better themselves.
Thunder’s Cason Wallace Update Adds Insult to Jalen Williams Injury