The Oklahoma City Thunder came into their game against the Miami Heat on Saturday looking to add to the current five-game win streak, but their attention now turns to a potential injury issue. Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams was forced to exit the team’s game against the Heat due to an apparent injury, and he was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Jalen Williams’ 2025-26 season debut was delayed as he was recovering from a wrist injury and now the Thunder potentially have this new issue to deal with He has emerged as an important piece of the Thunder’s championship core, and was selected to his first All-Star appearance last season.
The injury occurred in the second quarter when Williams drove to the basket and was met at the rim by Heat defenders. He flipped a pass over his shoulder to Chet Holmgren before landing somewhat awkwardly. An update on Williams would likely come some time after the game.
The No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Williams is in his fourth season in the NBA. It’s been his emergence as a legitimate star that’s helped propel the Thunder into a perennial championship contender.
Williams had missed the first 19 games of the season as he recovered from the wrist injury, but coming into Saturday’s game, he had appeared in 23 games at a little over 30 minutes per game. He was averaging 17.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals with splits of 46.8 percent shooting from the field, 27.6 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 83.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
During last season’s title run, Williams averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 44.9 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from the 3-point line and 78.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
