Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Oklahoma City Thunder face the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 with a major injury concern looming over the series.
- Key All-NBA wing Jalen Williams remains sidelined due to a lingering hamstring strain and has no firm return timeline.
- The Thunder must decide whether to test their depth without their star or wait for his potential return later in the series.
The Oklahoma City Thunder made very quick work of the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The Thunder were the only team to avoid a loss in the opening round, outscoring Phoenix by 17.8 points per 100 possessions and cruising into an extended break before a second round battle with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the grand scheme, that opening round performance was not a surprise for Oklahoma City, as the Thunder have been atop the NBA for quite some time. Not only did OKC emerge with the 2025 NBA championship in impressive fashion, but the Thunder also led the league in wins (64) and net rating (plus-11.1) during the 2025-26 regular season. That combination pushes OKC into "favorite" status with regard to the 2026 title pursuit, but the Thunder do have a major injury concern to navigate with All-NBA wing Jalen Williams.
Will Jalen Williams be available when the series against Los Angeles begins?
Officially, Jalen Williams is ruled out for Game 1 on Tuesday due to the left hamstring strain that has kept him sidelined for an extended period. That mirrors the absence of Luka Dončić on the Lakers side, and in similar fashion, both players do not have firm timelines for returning to game action. For Williams, the best window into his status comes from Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, who addressed the media on Monday.
"He's progressing according to plan, I would say," said Daigneault, via Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. "In terms of a timeline, we're not going to release that. We’ll continue to let you guys know on a week-to-week basis.”
Of course, the Thunder have every reason to be coy about Williams' return. It does not necessarily benefit Oklahoma City from a planning perspective to reveal anything more about his status and, quite frankly, the Thunder are massive betting favorites to advance past the Lakers even if Williams does not appear for a second in the series.
Williams had a checkered season from an injury standpoint, taking the floor in only 33 games and in only two of the four games against Phoenix. While the Thunder are clearly at their best with his two-way ability on full display next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City has been a gauntlet even without Williams on the floor. The Thunder had a plus-10.9 net rating with Williams on the bench during the regular season, and no other team can approach the perimeter depth that OKC can deploy with players like Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, and AJay Mitchell.
Thunder projected starting lineup and depth chart without Jalen Williams
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | PG | Alex Caruso |
Lu Dort | SG | Cason Wallace |
Ajay Mitchell | SF | Isaiah Joe |
Chet Holmgren | PF | Aaron Wiggins |
Isaiah Hartenstein | C | Jaylin Williams |
At present, the Thunder are favored by 15.5 points in Game 1 on Tuesday. That could narrow in the future even if both Williams and Doncic return, simply because Los Angeles is more reliant on Dončić than Oklahoma City is on Williams. At the same time, it could also be useful for the Thunder to be able to take the overall temperature of their situation with Williams in the lineup.
Make no mistake, it would be silly to assume that the Thunder can simply fast-forward through the Lakers series, even while acknowledging they appear quite likely to advance. With that said, Oklahoma City's biggest projected challenge in the West would likely arrive in the next round, and if Williams can get back on the floor for a few minutes before the Western Conference Finals, that would be helpful for the Thunder.
As of now, however, Williams will not be available for Game 1, and he might not be ready to play until deep into the series against the Lakers, or later.
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