Thunder’s Jalen Williams Set to Return Friday Against Suns
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Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Jalen Williams is expected to play his first game of the 2025/26 season on Friday when the Thunder face the Phoenix Suns, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
Williams, 24, had surgery in early July to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, an injury that lingered throughout last spring’s playoffs. A second procedure in late October removed a screw that had been causing irritation.
Head coach Mark Daigneault labeled Williams “day-to-day” before Wednesday’s game, and the organization has taken a cautious approach to his return.
Selected 12th overall in the 2022 draft, Williams enjoyed a breakout 2024/25 campaign, earning his first All-Star nod as well as spots on the All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive Second Team. His performance helped Oklahoma City capture its first NBA title in a seven-game Finals win over the Indiana Pacers.
Despite multiple injuries to start the year, the Thunder own the league’s best record at 18-1 and a plus-16.5 point differential—currently the highest through 19 games in NBA history, according to Charania.
Williams is now ineligible for major postseason awards because of the NBA’s 65-game minimum rule. He is earning $6.6 million this season, the final year of his rookie deal, before his five-year max rookie-scale extension projects to start at $41.5 million in 2026/27.
Source: Hoops Rumors
