Jalen Williams feels 'extremely fresh' as the Oklahoma City Thunder prepare for the 2026 NBA playoffs, aiming for back-to-back championships. After a challenging season with injuries, Williams is expected to play a crucial role in the team's success without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Apr 8, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) drives past Los Angeles Clippers guard Kobe Sanders (4) for a basket in the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Waiting for the week to find out their Round 1 opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to join rare company as back-to-back NBA champions. To get there, Jalen Williams might have to shoulder the biggest responsibilities sans Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder were able to get to a league-best 64-18 regular-season record without Williams. He only played in 33 games as he dealt with two wrist surgeries and two hamstring strains. But as the reigning NBA champions can attest, winning in the NBA playoffs is a different animal.
If the Thunder hope to bring home another Larry O'Brien trophy, Williams has to return to his All-NBA level last year. When the halfcourt offense bogs down, he's OKC's best bet to create his own bucket outside of Gilgeous-Alexander. As last year's run proved, you need another bonafide scorer.
Logging 32 minutes in OKC's win over the LA Clippers to clinch the first seed, Williams is confident any injury problems are behind him. It was the first time he's played 30-plus minutes since before he initially hurt his hamstring on Jan. 17 at Miami.
“I feel extremely fresh," Williams said. "Because I played like 12 games.”
While a joke on the surface, nice to hear from Williams on how he physically feels. You need as much luck as talent to win an NBA championship. The Thunder understand that. Even though the 25-year-old played through torn wrist ligaments, OKC had zero games missed from its roster through two months of playoff basketball sans Nikola Topic.
If that can happen again — along with Williams returning to being an efficient 20-point scorer — then the Thunder are primed to throw another parade in June and raise another championship banner in October.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Jalen Williams feels 'extremely fresh' ahead of OKC's 2026 NBA playoffs
Jalen Williams dealt with two wrist surgeries and two hamstring strains, limiting him to just 33 games during the regular season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder achieved a league-best record of 64-18 in the regular season.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unavailable, Jalen Williams is expected to take on significant scoring responsibilities, as he was a key contributor during last year's championship run.
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