The champion Oklahoma City Thunder will begin the 2025-26 season without All-Star Jalen Williams, who was left off of the team's active roster, due to injury recovery. Williams confirmed a significant step in his recovery from wrist surgery, playing pick-up games without wearing a brace on his right wrist. However, Jalen hasn't been cleared to play.
Williams was initially expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. After undergoing surgery to correct a torn ligament that he played with throughout the Thunder's championship run, Williams spent the summer recovering. However, over two months removed from the procedure and Oklahoma City has yet to announce a new timetable for the All-Star forward's return.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed Williams' recovery earlier this month, but wouldn't reveal any specifics about Williams' eventual return.
“He's on his return to play. He's progressing on a normal timeline, taking a day at a time, Daigneault said. “He's progressing. He's supposed to be.”
Williams joins Isaiah Joe, Kenrich Williams, and Nikola Topic, on the Thunder's injury report, all of whom are ruled out for Tuesday's season opener.
Jalen Williams eyeing bigger goals beyond Thunder title
After making a recovery from his wrist injury, Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams has big plans this season, as chasing greatness may sound dramatic, but for Williams, it's an accurate description of winning multiple championships. For Jalen, having surgery on his right wrist gave me additional downtime to think about his immediate future with the Thunder.
“The championship is something that you, obviously, play for. But, all of that is in the past,” Williams said. “Having my wrist surgery, I think, was a really good thing for me. It allowed me to be grounded and focus on that, and forget about the championship and everything else. But everybody's trying to compete.”
The Thunder say Williams' absence will most likely be short term.
