Thunder’s Jalen Williams cleared to face 76ers after five-week hamstring layoff
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Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams is expected to play Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, ending a five-plus-week absence caused by a strained right hamstring, league sources told ESPN.
The 24-year-old was removed from the injury report Sunday, giving the Western Conference-leading Thunder 11 regular-season games to reintegrate the third-team All-NBA selection before the playoffs.
Injuries have limited Williams to 26 appearances this season. He missed the first 19 games while recovering from offseason surgery on the shooting wrist he fractured during the final week of the 2024-25 campaign. Playing through the injury last postseason, he averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists as Oklahoma City captured the title.
Williams has struggled to regain his touch, posting 17.5 points per game and a career-low 31.3% from three-point range. The hamstring issue first surfaced Jan. 17 during a loss in Miami, costing him 10 contests. He returned Feb. 9 in Los Angeles but re-injured the muscle two nights later at Phoenix after scoring 28 points on 11-of-12 shooting in just 20 minutes.
Despite extended absences for several key players, Oklahoma City owns the NBA’s best record at 56-15 and has won 11 straight since MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came back from an abdominal strain. According to ESPN Research, only Memphis has accumulated more games lost to injury this season. The projected starting five of Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein has shared the floor in only five games.
Source: ESPN
