Jalen Williams Explains Why He Thinks Thunder Could've Beaten Wemby, Spurs If Not for Injury

Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams only made three appearances in the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, for a total of 54 minutes.

He believes had he been healthier, the Thunder would have advanced to the NBA Finals rather than losing the series in seven games.

"Obviously I think I could have made an impact," he told reporters. "I think we could've won if I played. We went to seven with them without me playing. I don't think I make us worse."

Williams, 25, averaged 17.1 points, 5.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game this past season, giving OCK a true secondary option on the perimeter behind back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when healthy.

But that was rare during the 2025-26 campaign. Offseason wrist surgery and a right hamstring injury limited him to just 33 games during the regular season, while a left hamstring issue allowed him to play just five games in the playoffs.

He tried to return for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals but played just 10 minutes off the bench.

"He's obviously not 100 percent," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told reporters after Game 6. "He didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what to expect. So it was a matter of getting him out there in kind of an insulated role and see what he can bring to the team. He's an All-Star player, he's an All-NBA player. He hasn't done a full return to play [protocol] like he would if this was the regular season, and yet he just wants to do whatever he can to try to contribute whatever he can to the team. "I give him a lot of credit to get himself out there. He did the best he could. He's certainly not the reason we lost."

Williams was then ruled out for Game 7. The Thunder were also without Ajay Mitchell, leaving them without two of their top four scoring threats and putting a major burden on SGA and center Chet Holmgren.

"I failed at my goal," Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. "I didn't achieve what I wanted to achieve. But I learn the most about myself and make the greatest amount of increases in my career when I fail and don't get what I want. I look at this no different. I didn't get where I wanted to go this season. There's a reason for that. Now I have to look at that reason and try to make sure it never happens again."