Oklahoma City doesn’t have to spend much time fretting over Jalen Williams.
Yes, the Thunder star had a frustrating 2025-26 season. He was held to 33 games, his scoring dipped to its lowest mark since his rookie year, and a run of injuries kept knocking him off rhythm before he could really settle in. For a player who had been steady and available through his first three seasons, it was a sharp turn.
The numbers tell the story. Williams finished at 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and a career-high 5.5 assists per game, but he also shot a career-low 29.9% from three. He opened the season recovering from offseason wrist surgery, then later ran into multiple hamstring issues right as he started to find his groove again.
"It's just more like the year I had kind of sucked," Williams said in his end-of-season media availability. "I'm going to sit with that for a little bit and get back at it."
That rough stretch stands in contrast to what Williams looked like in Oklahoma City’s championship-winning 2024-25 season, when he earned an All-Star selection and Third-Team All-NBA honors. In that healthy campaign, he posted 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists while defending every position on the floor. That version of Williams - high-end two-way wing, primary creator, problem solver on both ends - is still the one the Thunder expect to have.
And they’ll need him. Oklahoma City is heading into 2026-27 as one of the league’s top contenders, and Williams is expected to be a major option on offense and defense in a new-look roster. His health matters even more after the Thunder fell in seven games to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, a series shaped in part by injuries to both Williams and Ajay Mitchell.
There’s little reason to treat last season as anything more than an exception. Williams’ first four years in the league have mostly pointed in the opposite direction, and the Thunder have reason to believe he can get right again.
One part of that reset has come from working with the trainer of two-time Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this offseason. For Oklahoma City, that’s a pretty good place to start if the goal is keeping Williams on the floor and back in All-Star form.
After a season full of setbacks, Williams is positioned to bounce back in a big way, with a chance to push past even his best year yet.
In Other News...
Kevin Durants Westbrook Reaction Will Hit Thunder Fans Hard
Russell Westbrooks retirement after 18 NBA seasons closed the book on one of the leagues most influential careers, and for Thunder fans it also reopened memories of the Oklahoma City core that once carried the franchise to the center of the basketball conversation. A former MVP and perennial All-Star, Westbrook changed the way the game viewed the triple-double and spent years as the relentless engine of a Thunder era defined by speed, force and unwavering competitiveness.
Kevin Durants reaction only adds another layer to that history. As Westbrooks former teammate in Oklahoma City, Durant praised his work ethic and acknowledged the bond they built while leading the Thunder, but he also made clear he believed Westbrook still had something left in the tank before choosing to walk away. For a fan base that watched both stars shape the franchises rise, hearing Durant talk about Westbrook this way will land with extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Title Defense Could Come Down To One Lineup Decision
The Thunder go into 2026-27 in the rare place of trying to defend a title while still being treated like a co-favorite, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams all back at the center of it. Around that core, though, coach Mark Daigneault is staring at a roster puzzle that feels bigger than most teams depth-chart debates because the offseason trades changed the shape of the group and left Oklahoma City weighing how best to cover every phase of a game.
The biggest question may not be who starts so much as how the Thunder want to finish and where the shooting comes from when the lineup tightens. Daigneault has options with the returning pieces and the newcomers, but the choices will say a lot about whether Oklahoma City wants maximum spacing, more defense or simply the best blend of trust and versatility when the games get louder in the spring. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder City Edition Rumor Brings Back A Debate Fans Know Well
A familiar uniform conversation is stirring again in Oklahoma City, and this one centers on a City Edition look that already made its mark. According to NBA Uniform Tracker, the Thunder are expected to bring back their 2023-24 City Edition design for the 2026-27 season, giving the dark blue and bright orange set another run after it drew attention for its nod to the citys changing skyline and landscape.
The timing makes the rumor more interesting, because fans have long treated City Edition returns like a wish list item from year to year. The Thunder are expected to wear the look multiple times during that season, with the 2026 NBA Cup potentially offering a spotlight for it at home, and it is the kind of detail that will keep the debate going over which alternate identity should have been the one to resurface. [Read more 🡒]