Jalen Williams Return Date Revealed, Thunder Star Missed Over 5 Weeks with Hamstring Injury

The Oklahoma City Thunder are set to get a key piece of the lineup back this week.

Jalen Williams, who missed more than five weeks due to a hamstring strain, will return to the court on Monday for OKC's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Williams missed the first month of the regular season while recovering from an offseason wrist surgery. He suffered a hamstring injury in mid-January, leaving him sidelined for 10 games, but he returned for a pair of contests in February. He exited early during a Feb. 11 matchup against the Phoenix Suns and has been out ever since with a hamstring strain.

Amid an injury-riddled campaign, Williams has put up 17.5 points, 5.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game across 26 contests.

The timing of his return couldn't be much better as the Thunder prepare to defend their NBA title. Oklahoma City has already secured a playoff spot with 11 regular-season games remaining, so there won't be a ton of pressure on Williams as he eases back into playing big minutes.

Having a few weeks before the playoffs should be sufficient ramp-up time so that he won't be going into the postseason cold.

Despite being without one of its biggest stars for most of the year, the OKC has once again enjoyed a dominant season. The Thunder are currently sitting atop the Western Conference at 56-15 thanks to another MVP-caliber season from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is putting up 31.6 points and 6.6 assists per game.

With Williams now back in the mix heading into the playoffs, the 2024-25 champs should be in good position to make another Finals run.