With a little over a minute left in the Thunder‘s win over the Clippers on Sunday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander covered his eyes with his jersey as he fought back tears. Chet Holmgren took a knee. Alex Caruso paced anxiously back and forth. The arena went silent.
Everyone in the building knew that Jalen Williams’ injury was a serious one as soon as it happened. As he rose up for a layup, he collided with two defenders and had his ankle and leg bent unnaturally on the landing. The video is gruesome, and you’d be better off not watching it.
Any severe injury is heartbreaking in the NBA. What makes Williams’ even tougher to stomach is how much time he spent during the offseason preparing his body for a big comeback year after missing 49 games last season.
The full extent of Williams’ injury is still unknown as of Monday, but the Thunder will surely be missing him for at least some period of time. His absence has the potential to completely change the trajectory of his career, the Thunder’s season, and the landscape of the league at large.
MORE: Grading debuts across the league, from LeBron to Giannis
How long will Jalen Williams be out?
Williams still needs to undergo a full medical evaluation in order to determine the extent of his injury. According to sports medicine doctor Brian Sutterer though, Williams should be concerned about an ankle fracture dislocation where the bones have fractured and the joint is out of place.
Sutterer noted that the majority of these types of injuries are extensive multi-month absences, with a risk of being season-ending or even career-altering as in Gordon Hayward’s case back in 2017.
The Thunder are still a championship contender
The Thunder have looked like the best team in the league early in the season, with convincing wins over the Spurs, Nuggets, and Clippers in their first three games. They’ve had an elite defense over the past several years, and it has looked even better this season.
Oklahoma City did have some key losses in the offseason with Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins departing. But their depth carried them through their first three games. Ten players on the roster have averaged double-digit minutes. Jared McCain has been a spark plug 3-point shooter off the bench, rookie Aday Mara has looked ready to contribute immediately, and Alex Caruso still looks like one of the best bench players in the league.
The Thunder will have to lean more heavily on those bench players now. They have the practice to do so. They went 39-10 in games that Williams missed last season and have finished with the best record in the league for two straight years.
Making things trickier in the immediate future are injuries to Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams that prevented them from finishing Sunday’s game. Ajay Mitchell should move into the starting lineup for now. He played well in that role last year, averaging 14.9 points in his 16 games as a starter. Rookie sharpshooter Bennett Stirtz may also get more of a look off the bench.
MORE: Opening Day winners (Sixers) and losers (Jayson Tatum)
Williams brings an offensive spark that will be difficult to replicate. The Thunder haven’t scored the ball well this year, and they could use a secondary option next to the rock-solid play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Williams also does some special things defensively, guarding all five positions capably.
The Thunder will be able to apply for and should receive a disabled player exception worth approximately $14 million. That will allow them to sign or trade for a player with one year left on their contract.
Without Williams, the Thunder will still be a good team. But they were looking like the favorites to make the Finals and win the title through the first week of the season.
The Spurs haven’t looked great either, starting the season a surprising 1-2 while they figure out new lineups. The Nuggets look similarly shaky at 1-1. But the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Rockets are all undefeated and perhaps better than many gave them credit for in the preseason.
The Thunder can still absolutely win the title if Williams must miss the whole year. But given how good the West is, they will need him in order to remain favorites. They will be praying along with everyone else that the injury isn’t as bad as it looked.
