Why the Thunder aren’t overreacting to issues with Jalen Williams returning from injury

OKLAHOMA CITY — After missing the first 19 games of the season due to surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist, Oklahoma City Thunder All-star forward Jalen Williams made his season debut at the end of November. Williams discussed adjusting to his surgically repaired wrist this season, revealing how wrist screws will take some getting used to in 2025-26.

Before facing the 76ers for the first of back-to-back home games for the Thunder, Daigneault addressed Williams’ first 12 games during his pregame media availability.

“I think he’s got a long job with a guy like that, at this point, as a young player, he’s played a lot of games. And we’ve seen him in a lot of situations – he’s got a long working relationship with this team.” Daigneault said. “We’re really not going to overreact to a certain amount of time. I think he’s still working his way back. He’s healthy, but he’s still going through some new normal as far as his wrist. And he’s doing a good job with it.”

“He’s getting lost in the team. He’s competing. He’s still impactful and he’s just going to get more rhythm. He’s just going to get more comfortable and confident in his physical ability to do what he needs to do as time goes on. He’s off to a good start. He’s prioritizing the right things. That’s really what we concluded,” we concluded.

Marc Daigneault’s honest take on Jalen Williams’ first 12 games of the season: “We’re really not going to overreact to a certain period of time.

Still working backwards. He’s healthy, but he’s still going through a new normal for his wrist. He does a good job with it.” pic.twitter.com/PV0gK2H3I7

— Joshua Pavon (@joe_svai) December 28, 2025

Williams is averaging 17.6 points on 45.3% shooting, 5.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, not far from his All-Star production last season. However, with only a dozen games under his belt, Williams should improve as he adjusts to his surgically repaired shooting wrist.

Jaylen Williams reveals he’s not completely healed

Thunder All-Star Jaylen Williams revealed the final recovery process is adjusting to the discomfort that comes with two wrist surgeries that have caused him to miss 19 games this season. Williams underwent a minimally invasive procedure in the final stages of his recovery from the first moment he went under the knife after the NBA Finals.

Earlier this month, Williams discussed the downside of his return to the Thunder.

“My wrist being healthy is going to be a constant thing. It’s not like this surgery was a boom — you’re healthy,” Williams said. “A lot of it is trying to get my rhythm back (by) getting to the free throw line, getting some easy layups, trying to get the drive mentality down and playing with power. When I haven’t played in so long, that’s usually the hardest thing to get back into. So the more I can attack, everything else will fall into place.”

Williams and the Thunder will host the 76ers and Hawks in doubleheaders at the Pike Center beginning Sunday.