Missing the first month of the 2025-26 regular season, Jalen Williams is finally back. The Oklahoma City Thunder will welcome their second All-NBA player on Friday in a 2025 NBA Cup game against the Phoenix Suns.
Williams was no longer listed on the Thunder’s injury report, signaling he’ll be available. He had previously missed the first 19 games. They went 18-1 without him and own the NBA’s best record and point differential.
Williams continued to recover from the offseason wrist surgery he had in July. After the Thunder captured the 2025 NBA championship, it was revealed that he played through their entire playoff run with torn wrist ligaments.
Williams later detailed that he had to undergo pain-numbing shots before every playoff game. The 24-year-old needed to relearn how to shoot on the spot. Despite that, he was OKC’s second-best player in their title quest. He added to his mythos when he dropped 40 points in a Game 5 win over the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.
The Thunder announced on Oct. 31 that Williams underwent a second procedure on his wrist. It was to remove a screw that irritated him. He was in the final stages of his return-to-play beforehand. A month later, he’s finally ready to play for the first time in five months after the minor setback.
Even though the Thunder have a league-best 18-1 record, Williams’ absence has been noticeable at times. The rich get richer on both sides of the ball. The offense has stagnated. Adding an efficient 20-plus point scorer should help with that. And the league’s best defense adds an All-Defense Team member from last season.
This is the perfect opportunity to work Williams back into game shape. The Suns at home should be a fun circumstance. It’ll be exciting to see how much better he can be after he broke out last year as one of the NBA’s best players next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
