Jalen Williams injured his lower leg after landing awkwardly on a drive attempt in the 4th quarter of OKC’s third game of the season against the Clippers.
Oklahoma City guard Jalen Williams will need surgery to repair a fractured left fibula and a dislocated left ankle, the latest significant blows to a Thunder franchise that has dealt with a number of injury-related issues in recent seasons.
“There is no timetable for Williams’ return and it won’t be set until after surgery,” general manager Sam Presti said Monday — but given the history of such injuries, it’s reasonable to think Williams could miss the remainder of the season.
“The dub, as everyone knows, is as tough as it gets,” Presti said at a news conference in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder were scheduled to host Phoenix later Monday. “He’s an elite competitor. Even last night, he’s just miraculous in terms of his outlook and the way he’s eager to attack. We’re going to be with him the whole way.”
It was a double whammy for the Thunder on Monday, with the team also revealing that forward Cason Wallace will need surgery to repair a left labral tear. Like Williams, Wallace was injured Sunday during Oklahoma City’s 108-101 win over the LA Clippers.
The timetable for Wallace’s return will also be set after surgery, but such procedures typically require several months of rehabilitation. Williams was an All-Defensive team selection in 2024-25; Wallace was chosen for this team last season
“It was a tough night last night,” Presti said. “There’s no way to describe things any differently. We say all the time that there’s a difference between being positive and optimistic within our walls. I’m not going to sit here and say that’s exactly where we want to be or that’s how we’d like things to be, but at the same time, we’re extremely optimistic about both players getting back together. More importantly, things could have been a lot worse.”
The Thunder have had major injury issues in recent years, including Chet Holmgren missing the entirety of what would have been his rookie season with a foot issue. The team’s 2024 first-round pick, Nikola Topić, missed all but 10 games over the previous two seasons — first because of a torn ACL, then testicular cancer. And Williams missed 49 regular-season games a year ago due to a range of issues, primarily wrist and hamstring issues.
“We have been through difficult, particularly difficult circumstances over the past few years,” Presti said. “One of the things I tried to say to the staff this morning when I talked to them is that we can’t get to the point where we feel like this is a common situation. But that being said, this is our situation.”
Williams was injured during a practice with 1:14 left against the Clippers. He was treated almost immediately by medical staff after going under the basket on the Thunder’s offensive end.
Williams’ ankle was covered in towels and players from both teams reacted with dismay and disbelief when a stretcher was brought out. The game was stopped for about five minutes.
Williams – who averaged 17.9 points in 251 games over his first five seasons – was once an All-Star and All-NBA selection, and he was an integral part of the Thunder team that won the 2025 NBA championship.
The Thunder entered this season as co-favorites with the Spurs to win the NBA title. Oklahoma City will likely — in time — make decisions about applying for a disabled player exception or even using its stockpile of future draft picks to try to make trades and keep a team in title contention.
These conversations, for now, can wait.
“I didn’t think about anything about the roster spot,” Presti said.
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