Jalen Williams’ hamstring injury in the 2026 Playoffs meant that Ajay Mitchell stepped into the starting lineup for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Mitchell responded by averaging 22.5 points, six assists and three rebounds per game and produced a playoff career-high of 28 points in Game 4 to complete the whitewash.

Now, Williams has revealed on the Old Man and Three podcast how it proved to be a ‘fun’ series for him to sit out due to the Lakers’ fans' reactions on social media, per a post on X by Legion Hoops.

“I don’t wanna say I was happy I was out, but that was a fun series to be out for because everytime we had a good game, I would go straight to Twitter,” he said.

Jalen Williams says he loved scrolling through Twitter and seeing angry Lakers fans when Ajay Mitchell ended their season last summer

(via @OldManAndThree) pic.twitter.com/8TlqOGtFnP

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 15, 2026

Williams then revealed that he was merely scrolling on X after Game 3, which saw Mitchell score 24 points on almost 60% shooting.

“I was on the sidelines for five minutes just yelling, ‘Oh my god!'” he said.

The Lakers pulled into the series without star man Luka Doncic and with Austin Reaves initially playing on a minutes restriction. However, despite LeBron James himself averaging 23.2 points, six rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, the Thunder proved to be on a different level.

Article Continues Below

Despite missing Williams, who eventually returned for the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, Mitchell ensured that his team never missed the 2025 All-Star. He notched a massive 24-point, 10-assist double-double on the road in Los Angeles without committing a single turnover.

Game 4 not only saw Mitchell produce his career-high in points, but he also recorded four steals as his team produced a 35-26 fourth quarter to seal the series with an 115-110 win. The Lakers are obviously one of the most historic franchises in the NBA with a global fanbase.

Hence, there is little doubt that there would have been plenty of fans airing their frustration on X, something Williams obviously seems to have enjoyed.