March 24, 2026, 10:01 a.m. CT
Cutting the basket as Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed another offensive rebound, Jalen Williams caught the ball in stride. The 24-year-old split between Trendon Watford and Adem Bona for the circus up-and-under layup that banked off the glass. Unreal feel for someone who was sidelined for nearly two months.
The Oklahoma City Thunder flexed their full health with a 123-103 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. They extended their win streak to 12 in a row.
Williams finished with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, six assists and four rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws.
Finally, the Thunder have all of their Infinity Stones. Williams made this into a must-watch game once he was cleared. Out for 16 consecutive games, his speed and movement didn’t even hint at somebody who’s missed most of the season with two hamstring strains.
Testing out his fresh legs, Williams bulldozed his way to the rim at a high frequency. Anytime the ball reached him, he went headfirst to the basket. He accelerated for several driving layups. No rust was shown in his first game back in a minute. Shoutout to the Sixers’ nonexistent paint defense for the confidence boost.
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
Not wanting to make the game about himself completely, Williams played within the flow of the offense. He picked his spots to hunt for his shot. You even saw him knock down a couple of jumpers. That didn’t really happen before due to his wrist. Exciting stuff overall — even with his limited 20 minutes of action.
Considering how swift Williams was moving, you couldn’t help but gush at the possibility of the Thunder finally adding back an All-NBA talent. In his limited time, injuries have made it hit or miss to see that version of the 24-year-old. And with a short runway of regular-season games to get going, this was a great start.
“I wouldn’t say ‘frustrating’ is the word. I think if I were on a different team, I’d be more frustrated. But I’m around good energy, as you guys can see. I think that’s been one of the things that have kept me going. I’ve been trying to use it as a positive, too,” Williams said. “My wrist has felt a lot better than it ever has. I think that was a big hurdle during the season. I’ve been able to kinda get over it. Back to what it was like.”
After being sidelined for most of the season, Williams showed off his self-deprecating humor a bit when he recently called himself the most expensive cheerleader. While the Thunder were able to survive his absence in the regular season, the playoffs are a different beast. The difficulty of getting buckets multiplies tenfold. He’s proven to help with that. Look at last year’s tape.
“I think the biggest thing that helped me feel involved was the team allowing me to travel with the team. I think when you’re hurt and you have to stay back on some road trips, it’s actually pretty hard. You’re not around the team, so you kinda feel like an outsider a little bit,” Williams said. “So the fact that I was able to do my rehab on the road a lot of times and still be with the team was super dope. It’s just fun to watch the guys have to do things they don’t normally do and then thrive in that situation. That was really cool to watch.”
Now that Williams is back, the Thunder have their full deck of cards for the first time in forever — knock on wood. That means they have three weeks to get things in order as a full unit before the NBA playoffs start. Besides clinching the first seed, building up some chemistry and momentum should be the second-biggest goal.
“I think it’s going to end up being a blessing in disguise, a little bit. It’s going to give us a little more urgency to kinda figure out how to play with all of the guys. I think it’s also one of the coolest things about the team is that we have an issue because of our depth,” Williams said. “I don’t think we’ve all played together yet. I think that gets taken for granted because we’re really good, but it’s definitely one of those hurdles we have to get over.”