The Oklahoma City Thunder’s season changed on Sunday night late in their win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jalen Williams went down with a gruesome leg injury and had to be stretchered off the floor.
The Thunder won the game, but everyone’s thoughts were with Williams as OKC hoped that its star was going to be OK, if not in the near-term then at least in the long run.
The injury is also going to raise some questions going forward about what this Thunder team looks like without Williams. Oklahoma City made some changes in the offseason, and so it’ll take some time to see how it all comes together.
Jalen Williams Injury Update
Williams’ injury occurred to his left leg as he rose to the basket and was sandwiched between two Clippers.
His leg crumpled beneath him, and his left foot ended up at an unnatural angle.
Williams was attended to by trainers for several minutes before being stretchered off. He held up two thumbs for the fans while being taken away.
“I don’t even know,” Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. “Just feel bad for him. Nothing more than that. You gotta play the hand you’re dealt in life. It sucks, but it’s part of the game. We have a team for a reason, and we have guys ready to step up and hold down the fort. Super unfortunate, all three of those guys tonight.”
The Thunder didn’t have a further update on Williams after Sunday’s game. There likely will be news at some point later on Monday.
“It’s obviously going to be tough without a player like that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But he’s not gone forever. He’ll be back better than ever, and we know it. We just gotta hold the fort down until he comes back.”
Thunder Replacement Options
It’s worth noting that three players that have some positional overlap with Williams left the Thunder in the offseason. In various games that Williams missed a season ago, most of his minutes were filled by Luguentz Dort (who was already a starter), Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.
None of that trio plays for the Thunder anymore.
The most obvious candidate to see more minutes is talented scoring guard Ajay Mitchell, who did get starts last season in games that Williams didn’t play in.
Alex Caruso should also see a workload increase. He’s not a scorer like Williams, but Caruso impacts the game in many other ways.
The Thunder also have Jared McCain as an explosive scorer who could potentially slide into more minutes and even start if OKC wants him in the first five.
Those three players are all well trusted by Oklahoma City. It’s beyond them, where everyone moves up a spot on the depth chart, where there’ll be more uncertainty, particularly with Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams also leaving Sunday with injuries.
The Thunder are going to have to work through these decisions one at a time and try to get things moving in the right direction despite being shorthanded.
Jalen Williams Injury Update Forces Thunder to Consider These Replacement Plans