Jaylen Williams’ ankle is still a little stiff
We take care! calm, Jalen Williams learned from his return to competition last weekend after his wrist surgery in early July. OKC has won its last four games and this is still the most important, and its All-Star winger has been able to find his feet in the best conditions, already proving to be hyperactive on both ends of the court.
As for his feelings, the player did admit that he is not 100% recovered and that he may need a few more weeks of training to get closer. His wrist muscles are still atrophied, and only time and repetition of movements can affect their strengthening.
“I need to see what I can say without getting too ahead of myself”, he confided at first, hesitantly. “I don’t have the same range of motion as before. I have to try to get my range of motion back and figure out what I need to do mechanically to get there. After the surgery, I didn’t have two or three weeks to do exercises and work on it. It was more: “Make sure you can fall already, then you’ll see as you play the rest”. I’m not going to miss 30 or 40 games just so I can train. Sometimes you see me doing things that I do for the first time by hand. This is a challenge and a process to follow.”
Jalen Williams, much more than a wrist
A compromise reached with the medical staff allowed him to step on the field again at the end of November and so far the choice has been correct. Even if Jaylen Williams is struggling a bit skill-wise (42.1% shooting, 25% 3-point shooting), Marc Daigneault clearly isn’t worried about Lt. Shai Giljus-Alexander.
“That’s really the least of my worries.”he said. “He’s a great player. He’s going to get through this. He’s going to take a little time to get back into his rhythm, and that’s OK. He can take all the time he needs. The great thing about him is that he fights and plays the right way every night. Even if he’s not in top form yet as far as his shooting, he brings it and that’s why. He’s an incredible influence.”
Indeed, Jaylen Williams remains primarily an outstanding defender and his wrist clearly does not handicap him on this side of the court. Otherwise, with his above-average basketball IQ, he also remains a team-enhancing player, and he’s already identified what he needs to do in time to regain more confidence in his long-range shooting: go for points near the circle.
“It’s a lot about helping me get my rhythm back.” he justified himself. “Go to the free throw line, get some easy layups. I’m just trying to get the mentality to go for it and play hard. When I haven’t played in a long time, that’s usually the hardest thing to get back into. So the more I attack that way, the more everything else will fall into place.”
| Jalen Williams | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | The team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | That | Pd | Ft | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | OKC | 75 | 30:21 | 52.1 | 35.6 | 81.2 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 14.1 |
| 2023-24 | OKC | 71 | 31:19 | 54.0 | 42.7 | 81.4 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 19.1 |
| 2024-25 | OKC | 69 | 32:25 | 48.4 | 36.5 | 78.9 | 0.9 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 21.6 |
| 2025-26 | OKC | 4 | 30:00 | 42.1 | 25.0 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 16.0 |
How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.
2025-12-07 09:27:00
