OKLAHOMA CITY — In only his fourth game back from a hamstring injury, Oklahoma City Thunder's Jalen Williams had his best scoring performance since, which didn't come as a surprise for head coach Mark Daigneault. Amidst an extended absence, Williams shared what he learned about himself and his teammates following a 131-113 win against the Pistons on Friday. He followed up his 18-point performance with 22 points on 7-for-11 attempts.
Williams' production helped close out the Knicks on a 14-5 Thunder run en route to a 111-110 victory Sunday night at the Paycom Center. After the game, Daigneault discussed Williams' approach, which for the Thunder head coach, started well before he returned to the court last week.
“Give him a lot of credit for the work he did coming out of the injury to get himself in game condition. That’s hard to do when you’re not playing games. But he seemed to hit the ground running. And when you’re off for that long, you’re going to have some ebbs and flows in your performance. And it's the time of year when the games are hard. So, you're not going to play perfect every night.
“Just his competitiveness, his motor, his two-way play, is really valuable for us. Even on his average nights, but tonight, he was excellent.”
Mark Daigneault when asked about Jalen Williams’ burst/energy in Thunder’s win versus Knicks: “Give him a lot of credit for the work he did coming out of the injury to get himself in game condition. That’s hard to do when you’re not playing games.
But he seemed to hit the… pic.twitter.com/8rSR4Ej9As
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) March 30, 2026
All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points and four assists. Chet Holmgren finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, and Lu Dort added a dozen points, including two threes, and a pair of steals.
Jalen Williams on what he learned about Thunder amid absence
Thunder forward Jalen Williams revealed the mental hurdles he overcame in his first two games back. For Williams, it was critical for him to score at a high level.
Williams also learned a lot about his team throughout this team, which could come as a surprise for a defending champion Thunder team.
“You realize how talented you are top to bottom. When you're in it, you probably don't notice as much until you're on the court with a certain group. But we are extremely talented. That was really cool to watch,” Williams said. “Obviously, I wouldn't want to watch it from the sidelines anymore.”
In terms of what he learned about himself while rehabbing from his latest hamstring injury, Williams is very appreciative to be back on the court, competing.
“Personally, it's just not taking it for granted. Not to say that I was, but you don't know when you get to play again. It made me look at basketball a lot differently,” Williams added. “And patience, too. Like I said, it's been a blessing in disguise.”
Mark Daigneault and the Thunder will host the Pistons on Monday.
