Jaylen Williams will return from injury against the Lakers

After missing 10 straight games with a right hamstring strain, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams returns on Monday against Los Angeles Lakers. Amid a string of injuries to key players, including All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, shorthand Thunder have lost five of their last 10 games. The return of Williams, one of Oklahoma City’s main offensive creators and lock down defenders, is good news.

Since their historic 24-1 start, the defending champion Thunder have held the NBA’s best all-season record, a streak that was never threatened until recently. Oklahoma City is 14-10 in their last 24 games. The Thunder, 40-13, have a 3.5-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs, who are second in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons are atop the Eastern Conference standings at 38-13.

It’s been an injury-riddled season for Williams and the Thunder. After missing the first 19 games of the regular season due to two surgeries to repair torn ligaments in his right wrist, Williams’ comeback lasted 24 games before suffering a right hamstring injury in a 122-120 loss to the Miami Heat.

Williams was forced to leave the game early and has missed the previous three weeks ahead of the Thunder’s quick two-game road trip that begins against the Lakers and ends against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. Oklahoma City will try to snap its two-game skid after losing to the San Antonio Spurs on the road and the Houston Rockets at home on Saturday.

Williams averaged 16.8 points on 47.0% shooting, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 24 games with the Thunder this season.

Jaylen Williams reveals frustration over returning to Thunder

Thunder forward Jaylen Williams addressed his nagging wrist injury in the midst of his return after missing the first 19 games of the regular season. Finding comfort in his wrist is Williams’ new normal, he says, a process that continues through the 2025-26 campaign.

“It’s awful — it’s a very tedious process,” Williams said. “Nobody’s going to be more frustrated than me when the shots are short, when they’re not, but it’s just one of those things that I’ve learned over the course of the game. And it’s not like I’m on a bad team, where I come in and take 40 shots, and I take it that way. Again, this injury is not something you can get and have good hands.

“It’s been a year or a year and a half, and having the summer to really figure it out, where it’s really going to get back to normal. It’s just one of those things that you just figure out in the game, and I’ll be able to be effective in other ways and not focus on that. That’s my biggest thing; there’s so many other things I can do besides score and impact the defense,” William.

The Thunder will look to snap a three-game skid heading into Monday’s matchup against the Lakers.