OKLAHOMA CITY — With only 30 regular-season games under his belt, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jalen Williams played in his fourth consecutive matchup since his return from a hamstring injury. He helped the defending champions beat the New York Knicks, 111-100. Williams scored 22 points on 7-of-11 attempts.
After the win, Williams discussed how valuable these regular-season reps are for him, coming off a long-term injury, and they make a tremendous difference.
“Just getting my feet under me, getting more and more comfortable playing again to be honest,” Williams said. “It’s not really anything they did or didn’t do; it’s just getting back to being fully ready to go. My minutes have gotten extended a lot. So, I’ve been able to play pretty close to my normal strengths. It’s just rhythm.”
Williams also finished with two assists, one rebound, and one steal in 29 minutes against the Knicks, which is the most he’s played since his return in last Monday’s 123-103 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers.
SGA on Jalen Williams’ importance to Thunder’s title chances
All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t hold back when stating how important Thunder forward Jalen Williams is to the defending champions’ chances of repeating. Gilgeous-Alexander reminded everyone of Williams’ impact last season.
The Thunder couldn’t have won a title without Williams, as Gilgeous-Alexander noted during his postgame press conference.
“Dub is such a big part of why we won last year. If we want to defend this year, he’s going to be such a big part of it that we have no choice but to trust him. We have no choice but to put the ball in his hands,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have no choice but to make plays around him — to put him in better positions. The better he is as an individual player, the better we are as a basketball team. And 1 through 15 know that. So, we don’t really have a choice.
“All of last playoffs, he was playing with a torn wrist, and we had no choice but to play through Dub it moments. It is what it is. He’s a really great player. He’s one of the best players on this team, and he’s one of the biggest reasons we won last year. And if we’re going to win again, we’re going to need him to be that guy,” Gilgeous-Alexander concluded.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on how important Jalen Williams is for the Thunder’s back-to-back title quest: “He’s one of the best players on this team, and he’s one of the biggest reasons we won last year.
And if we’re going to win again, we’re going to need him to be that guy.” pic.twitter.com/QrqHWx0Xax
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) March 30, 2026
Williams has averaged 16.3 points on 50% shooting, 4.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in his four games back.
