Chandler Parsons talks about OKC’s playoff prospects due to Jalen Williams’ injury

Chandler Parsons had a brave attitude to share about Oklahoma City Thunder hopes for a championship after Jalen Williams suffered the last injury.

Williams suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of the Thunder’s last game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 19. That will keep him out for the next two weeks, as his team will return to the situation they found themselves in earlier this season.

This resulted in Parsons giving his take on Oklahoma City’s title chances on FanDuel’s Run It Back podcast. He was confident they wouldn’t panic or lose momentum because of the tremendous depth they have on the roster.

“Don’t panic just because of that depth, because of that balanced bench that they have, where you can plug in and play Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, Caruso, they can collectively make up for the production. You can’t just replace Jalen Williams. He’s their second-best player. He’s their All-Star, even though their world team is much better, and they say they’re two records. otherwise,” Parsons said.

“You just don’t want this to become a trend, your young young star. You don’t want this to start becoming a thing, and you want him healthy, you want him in the lineup. But yeah, they’re so well positioned, and they’re so deep, they can win games without him. They could win a championship without him, but they’re not a better team without them.”

“(The Thunder) might be able to win a championship without (Jalen Williams), but they are by no means a better team without him.”

Chandler Parsons believes OKC can beat anything without JDub 🤔

They are 19-1 without him this season.

(via @RunItBackFDTV)pic.twitter.com/VRZpLIVDIF

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 20, 2026

What awaits the Thunder after Jalen Williams’ injury

The Thunder have excelled without Jalen Williams this season, going 19-1 in his absence. Even so, their ceiling for defending their title is higher when he is active on the court alongside teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Williams has featured in 24 of the team’s 44 games so far this campaign. He is averaging 16.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 47% from the field, including 30% from beyond the arc and 83.3% from the free throw line.

Oklahoma City boasts a 36-8 record on the season, controlling the best record in the league. In the Western Conference standings, they are 5.5 games above the San Antonio Spurs and 6.5 games above the Denver Nuggets.

Thunder will continue their preparations for the upcoming match, as they are on the road. They face the Milwaukee Bucks on January 21st at 9:30pm ET.