Thunder Give Injury Update on Jalen Williams, No Reason to Rush Return

The Oklahoma City Thunder are once again dominating the entire league. They are 18–1, on a 10-game winning streak, and look like once again they will be the team to beat for an NBA championship. The craziest part about the Thunder’s scorching hot start is that they have done it all without their second-best player, Jalen Williams.

Williams has been out nursing a wrist injury and has yet to play a game this season. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault recently gave an injury update on Jalen Williams. 

"Day to day, and is doing a great job. There's so much invisible work that goes into a return to play that you guys don't get the opportunity to see, and we don't even get the opportunities. I rolled in this morning, getting ready for our staff meeting, and I was walking to the back, and he's already there at whatever time it was, 8:15, getting his PT work in. He was on the court by 8:30. That's the work you have to put in day after day without the immediate carrot of playing when you're going through a rehab."

It sounds like Williams is nearing his return, but the Thunder shouldn’t rush him back. They literally cannot be beat, even without him on the court. With him, they will truly be unstoppable.

It seems like the only thing that could stop the Thunder is injuries. That’s why they should be careful not to rush Williams, or anyone who gets injured this season, back to play. The Thunder are deep and have tons of guys they can plug and play up and down their roster. 

The Thunder’s top goal for the season should be landing the number one seed, but more importantly, entering the playoffs completely healthy. If they can do that, it is hard to imagine they won’t repeat as champions.