Thunder’s Jalen Williams Says He Is Fully Healthy Ahead of West Finals
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Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Jalen Williams said he will enter the Western Conference finals without restrictions after missing six consecutive games with a Grade 1 strain in his left hamstring.
“I’m about to go into another series healthy,” Williams said in a video posted Friday on his YouTube channel. He explained that Oklahoma City’s 3-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous round allowed him to take “extra days” of recovery rather than rush back before facing either the Minnesota Timberwolves or San Antonio Spurs.
Head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters after Friday’s practice that Williams is “progressing,” declining to provide further details. Williams dressed for the workout, and the Thunder are not required to issue another injury report until the night before Game 1 of the conference finals.
Williams, a third-team All-NBA selection last season, appeared in only 33 regular-season games while dealing with multiple injuries. He missed the first 19 contests following offseason surgery on his right wrist and later sat out two extended stretches after straining his right hamstring, which he aggravated before the All-Star break.
The 24-year-old opened the postseason with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns and had 19 points in 23 minutes before exiting Game 2 with the left hamstring issue. Rookie guard Ajay Mitchell filled Williams’s spot in the starting lineup during the second-round sweep of the Lakers, averaging 22.5 points and 6.0 assists.
“My worry always comes from making sure that I’m able to get myself to a point where I can help the team,” Williams told ESPN after Oklahoma City’s Game 3 win in Los Angeles. “We have a good team, so there’s no real rush to get back. But I want to play.”
Source: ESPN
