The Oklahoma City Thunder failed to defend their NBA championship last season.
The Thunder came up short against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. They had homecourt advantage for Game 7, but Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs were just too much.
Jalen Williams‘ absence was felt in the series, as well as the entire season. The All-Star forward was limited to 33 games in the regular season and five games in the playoffs due to multiple muscle-related injuries.
Jalen Williams Injury News Before Training Camp
Speaking to reporters on Thursday in a preseason press conference, Oklahoma City Thunder executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager Sam Presti was asked about an update on Jalen Williams.
Presti shared a positive update on Williams, calling the 25-year-old forward “fantastic” and “healthy” heading into training camp.
“We feel like we’ve found every possible advantage of this area,” Presti said via Clemente Almanza of OKC Thunder Wire. “What we’re hopeful of is that he really just needed a full offseason to get back. He looks fantastic.”
“He looks great, he’s playing great,” he added via ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “We’re looking forward to him being himself again.”
The Thunder made some changes this offseason, trading players like Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins in an effort to avoid the dreaded second apron.
Williams’ health is going to be an important factor since those three players filled in for him during his absence last season.
Nevertheless, the Thunder have a crop of players, such as Jared McCain, Cason Wallace and Nikola Topic, who are more than ready for bigger roles.
J-Dub’s Injury History Last Season
The 2025-26 NBA season started pretty great for Jalen Williams. He signed a five-year, $240 million extension, which could up to as much as $287 million due to incentives.
Williams missed the first 19 games of the season as he recovered from two offseason wrist surgeries. He initially underwent surgery on July 1, 2025, to repair a torn scapholunate ligament, which he played through the Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship run.
According to The Oklahoman, Williams underwent another wrist surgery on October 31, 2025, to remove an internal screw that was causing an irritation.
The All-Star returned on November 28 against the Phoenix Suns. He played in the next 24 games before going down on January 17 against the Miami Heat. He was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and missed consecutive games.
Two games into returning from the hamstring strain, Williams re-aggravated the injury and was forced to miss the next month.
Williams played in seven of the last 11 regular-season games and was healthy heading into the first round of the NBA playoffs.
However, Williams suffered a left hamstring strain in Game 2 against the Suns. He was cleared to return ahead of the Western Conference Finals, but he re-aggravated the injury in Game 2 and missed the rest of the series.
OKC Thunder Get Good Jalen Williams Injury News Ahead of Training Camp