Jalen Williams Injury Update, Latest on Thunder Star's Hamstring and Return Timeline In NBA Playoffs

Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain in Wednesday's 120-107 win over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA playoffs.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the team plans on evaluating Williams "on a weekly basis."

The 2024-25 All-Star had 19 points and four assists in 23 minutes before the hamstring injury forced him to leave in the third quarter of Game 2.

Suns-Thunder Highlights

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After the game, coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged how well Williams had been performing before going down.

"Any assumption about time [missed] is just hypothetical at this point, so I'm not going to comment on that," Daigneault told reporters. "But I thought he was playing great obviously. He was on the gas. He had great force. He was hitting shots. Got really good shots for his teammates, especially early. So yeah, he was playing an outstanding game."

Williams' start was particularly encouraging because he played just 33 times in the regular season. Missing extended stretches prevented him from finding his groove on the court.

In Games 1 and 2, the 25-year-old was back to being the two-way force who helped OKC win the 2025 NBA Finals.

The timeline presented by Charania raises questions about whether Williams will return in the first round. Game 7 is scheduled for May 3, and the Thunder might have already advanced well before that.

Williams' status for the second round and beyond is the bigger concern. Oklahoma City's repeat bid becomes much tougher if he's glued to the bench.