Jaylen Williams finds silver after three-week hamstring injury

In his first game in three weeks, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams he led his team to a 119-110 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on the road. Williams made a career-high 11 of 13 free throws while scoring 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, which kept the Lakers at bay during the Thunder’s nine-point victory.

After the game, Williams told reporters that missing three weeks with a hamstring injury was a good way to rest his surgically repaired right wrist, the injury that caused him to miss the first 19 games of the season. Despite grimacing after absorbing a foul by Lakers center Deandre Ayton, Williams says his wrist feels better than it has since tearing the ligament last season, he said, per Justin Martinez of the Oklahoman .

“It feels great. The three weeks (were) actually great for me. It was the first time I’ve shot like that since April 8 last year,” Williams said. “So that was really crazy. My arm feels good. I just stuck with Ayton, and that was it. Honestly, it’s the best it’s been since. A lot of reps I was able to do while I was out there. That really helped.”

After a slow start in the first half, Williams finished 6-for-17 from the floor with three rebounds, one assist and one steal. He led seven Thunder players in double figures, including reserves Isaiah Joe with 19 points (4-for-8 from three) and Alex Caruso (17 points); whose 36 points combined, Oklahoma City’s second unit.

Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds), Cason Wallace added a dozen points, six assists and two steals, and Jaylin Williams had 11 points off the bench.

How Thunder teammates helped Jalen Williams through injury

Thunder forward Jalen Williams says his team’s production from the supporting cast has made his return as easy as he could have imagined after missing 10 straight games. Williams’ return ahead of Thunder’s road trip was ideal for a team missing its reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

For Williams, being around his Thunder teammates helped ease the road to recovery from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for three weeks.

“The biggest support is that it’s a lot of fun to see them, when I’m not playing, they’re still playing well. That gives me a lot of confidence,” Williams said. “To go in there and not feel like the weight of the world is on me; that’s nice. We just all get along. Going to practice, playing, not playing, just being around them is a blessing. It’s just great to be around that group of guys.

“They might not have to say anything encouraging. Just the energy they’ve had this season makes it fun to go to work and just play basketball, whether I’m playing or not.”

The road for Williams and the Thunder continues against the Suns on Wednesday.