Jalen Williams has announced he is fit as the OKC Thunder prepare for the Western Conference finals.
The Thunder star has been sidelined since April 22 due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain. The injury typically requires a recovery period of one to three weeks. However, Williams has exceeded that timeframe, while OKC completed a second-round sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers without him.
Williams Confirms Fitness in Vlog
Williams was seen at practice and then provided an update on his health status in a YouTube vlog. “I haven’t had to rush back from my hamstring stuff at all,” Williams said. “I’m actually taking extra days now then what was even originally planned because we were up 3-0 (on the Lakers), so there was no point in going into this series and possibly hurting myself before we have to play the Timberwolves or the Spurs. I’m about to go into another series healthy.”
Playoff Schedule and Recovery Time
OKC will play the winner of the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals. San Antonio holds a 3-2 lead in that best-of-seven series with Game 6 scheduled. Game 7, if necessary, would be on Sunday.
- If that series ends in six games, OKC will host Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Monday.
- If it ends in seven games, OKC will host Game 1 on Wednesday.
That would give Williams 25-27 days of recovery time for his injury.
Mitchell’s Emergence and Team Impact
Ajay Mitchell has impressed in a starting role during Williams’ absence. The sophomore guard averaged 22.5 points, six assists and 1.8 steals during the second round.
Mitchell is expected to continue to play a significant role upon Williams’ return. It is likely the two teammates will share the court. Both players are strong shot creators and can play off of each other, along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Head coach Mark Daigneault commented on the dynamic of having multiple playmakers on the floor. “I think it’s what you see with Ajay, generally, when he’s out there with Shai. I think it’s what you’ve seen in the past with Shai and Dub (Williams) being out there together. Just having two guys who are a threat to create and are always in attack mode is really helpful. And then obviously Shai is going to get doubled at times. And when the ball can come out to a guy who’s that much of a threat, it impacts the next closeout, which puts the next pass at a huge advantage.
“I think that’s what everybody saw a lot of in the Lakers series. Shai gets two on him, it comes out to Ajay, he’s kind of facilitating the next play and then it’s the next guy who’s at a huge advantage to make a play. That’s all downstream of those guys’ gravity.”
Williams looks set to enter the Western Conference finals healthy.