They call it a “Phyrric victory.”
That might be what the Oklahoma City Thunder found their way to on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. The final scoreboard read 108-101 in favor of the Thunder. The final injury report didn’t look like a win at all for OKC.
That term goes back more than 2,000 years. King Pyrrhus of Epirus fought against the Roman Republic in two battles — and in concept, he won both battles tactically. But his troops were massively depleted, and the Romans had a lot more reserves to call upon than King Pyrrhus — and so he might’ve won a few battles, but he would lose the war.
The good news for the Thunder is that they’re a lot more like the Romans, at least in NBA terms. Their depth is impressive.
It’ll be tested, though.
They lost Jalen Williams to a gruesome injury on Sunday night.
They lost newly extended Cason Wallace to an injury, as well.
And while it’ll fly under the radar, even because of his name, the Thunder’s Jaylin Williams also left the game with an injury and did not return.
And even though “Jay-Will” — the backup big — doesn’t have as large a role as the other two, the Thunder will miss him, too, if he has to miss any time.
Jaylin Williams Injury Update
The Thunder didn’t actually provide any official updates after Sunday’s game.
Head coach Mark Daigneault said updates would arrive on Monday about Wallace and Jaylin Williams.
Jaylin left in the first half on Sunday night with what appeared to be a hand injury and didn’t return.
That’s always a tricky one, particularly for a non-shooter like Jaylin Williams. He’s a tough, gritty player who can probably play through pain. The Thunder will have to decide how to approach things once they get an official diagnosis.
Jaylin Williams’ Role
Williams usually plays minutes in the teens, and he brings a different sort of energy for the Thunder.
In the season-opening win over the San Antonio Spurs, Williams played 16 minutes and scored five points with four rebounds. But most notably, he mixed it up in a tone-setting moment with Victor Wembanyama.
In game two, Williams played 15 minutes and had three points with seven rebounds and three assists.
He had played just five minutes before exiting early on Sunday.
Williams can bring physicality on the interior in games when Chet Holmgren might be having a tough time with a frontcourt matchup.
This Williams also often is the one who sees a huge usage increase on nights when the Thunder choose to rest their other stars. He’s the ideal, trustworthy bench player who is capable of more when asked.
The biggest potential problem of a Jay-Will injury is that the Thunder don’t have anyone else quite like him. The unrelated Kenrich Williams is the closest, and the Thunder now have the huge rookie backup center Aday Mara — but this Williams is a unique presence off the bench, and OKC will be hoping they don’t have to be without him for too long.
Thunder’s Jaylin Williams Injury Update Impacts Lineup Even in Smaller Role