Why Thunder isn’t overreacting to struggles with Jalen Williams back from injury

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

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

“I think with a guy like that has a long body of work, 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 body of work with this team.” Daigneault said. “We’re really not gonna overreact to a period of time. I think he’s still working back. He’s healthy, but he’s still working through kind of a new normal as it relates to his wrist. And he’s doing a good job with that.”

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

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

He’s still working back. He’s healthy, but he’s still working through a new normal as it relates to his wrist. He’s doing a good job with that” pic.twitter.com/PW0gK2H3I7

— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) 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, which isn’t far from his All-Star production last season. However, with only a dozen games under his belt, Williams should improve as he adapts to his surgically-repaired shooting wrist.

Jalen Williams reveals his he’s not fully healed

Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams revealed the final process of recovery is adapting to the discomfort that comes with two wrist surgeries that led to missing 19 games this season. Williams underwent a minimally invasive procedure amid the final stages of his recovery from the initial time 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 an ongoing 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 a couple of easy layups, trying to get the mentality down of driving, and playing with force. When I haven’t played for so long, that’s usually the hardest part to get back into. So, the more I can attack that, everything else will fall into place.”

Williams and the Thunder will host the 76ers and the Hawks in a back-to-back at the Paycom Center, starting Sunday.

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