The Oklahoma City Thunder are sitting atop the NBA standings with a 37-8 record, but don’t let that number fool you-this season has been anything but smooth sailing. While the wins keep piling up, the team is navigating a tricky situation with one of its key stars: Jalen Williams.
Williams, a vital piece of last season’s championship puzzle, has been in and out of the lineup, battling injuries that have disrupted his rhythm and limited his availability. He’s played in just 24 of the Thunder’s 45 games so far, and while the team has gone a solid 17-7 with him on the floor, they’ve been an eye-popping 20-1 without him. That kind of disparity raises eyebrows, even if it doesn’t tell the whole story.
Let’s be clear-this isn’t about questioning Williams’ talent. He’s putting up respectable numbers: 16.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, all while shooting 47.0% from the field.
On the surface, that’s the kind of production you’d expect from a high-level two-way wing. But dig a little deeper, and the cracks start to show.
The biggest concern? His shooting from deep.
Williams is hitting just 30.0% of his three-point attempts this season, continuing a downward trend that began late last year. After a breakout 2023-24 campaign where he shot 42.7% from beyond the arc, his long-range touch has become inconsistent.
During the first 48 games of the 2024-25 season, he dropped to 34.3%, then 34.8% over the final five games, and just 30.4% in the playoffs. Now, with the 2025-26 season well underway, that 30.0% mark is starting to look more like a pattern than a slump.
A big part of the issue appears to stem from offseason wrist surgery that may still be affecting his shooting mechanics. Add a hamstring injury to the mix, and it’s no surprise that Williams hasn’t quite looked like himself. The Thunder, understandably, are being cautious-but time isn’t exactly on their side.
With less than three months to go before the playoffs, Oklahoma City is facing a delicate balancing act. On one hand, they’ve been dominant without Williams, posting a net rating 6.8 points per 100 possessions better when he’s off the floor. On the other, they know they’ll need him firing on all cylinders if they want to defend their title.
Because let’s face it: repeating as NBA champions is one of the toughest challenges in sports. Every team in the league has had a full offseason to study, dissect, and scheme for the Thunder.
The margin for error shrinks dramatically in a playoff series, and Oklahoma City will need every bit of firepower to navigate that gauntlet again. That means they need Williams-not just available, but effective.
There is some reason for optimism. Williams has shown in the past that he can find his form late in the season.
He closed strong in 2024-25, shooting 41.3% from three over his final 21 regular-season games. That kind of turnaround is exactly what the Thunder are hoping for again.
But this time, the clock is ticking a little louder.
The Thunder’s coaching staff has a tough task ahead: keep the team rolling in the regular season while slowly reintegrating a key player who hasn’t looked quite right. It’s not just about getting Williams back on the court-it’s about getting him back to being the All-NBA, All-Defense, All-Star caliber player he was a year ago.
There’s no panic in Oklahoma City. Not yet.
But the Thunder know what it takes to win in June, and they know they’ll need Jalen Williams to be at his best to do it again. Regular season dominance is great-but come playoff time, the margin for error disappears.
And so does the luxury of waiting.