The Oklahoma City Thunder are in no-man's land right now with their second-best player, Jalen Williams, and it's happening at the worst possible time. Williams has been dealing with a hamstring strain, and he aggravated that injury on Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. If Williams exerts himself too much, the hammy will only get worse ... but if he stays off the court, the Thunder might not have the talent they need to vanquish the San Antonio Spurs in what's shaping up to be a long and grueling series.
Jalen Williams just injured his hamstring again in the Western Conference Finals
Williams is now looking at a day-to-day situation that doesn't sound promising. He'll be receiving treatment for the hamstring, but seeing as this is the second time J-Dub has injured the hammy within a month, this is obviously a situation where rest is what would benefit Williams in a perfect world.
Again, this is awful timing for Williams and the Thunder. If it weren't the playoffs, the obvious decision would be to put Williams on ice and give him literally no return timetable, ensuring that the hamstring is 110% before he steps back out onto the court.
But since the Thunder are seven wins away from a repeat title -- and more urgently, three losses away from their season ending before the NBA Finals -- Williams and OKC are understandably torn over the prospect of an extended absence.
Jalen Williams hamstring situation shows that the Lakers absolutely made the right call with Luka Doncic
Thunder fans will roll their eyes at anyone making J-Dub's injury about Luka Doncic and the Lakers, but it's too difficult to ignore the comparison. Doncic was also dealing with a hamstring injury this postseason, and the Lakers exercised supreme caution, keeping Luka out of their entire postseason.
With Williams coming back from his initial strain and making the hamstring worse, Lakers fans were reminded of the risk that Luka would have been taking by coming back too early. He wouldn't have been totally effective, and the likelihood of a re-injury of the hammy would have been astronomically high.
What's more, the Lakers were playing for far lower stakes this playoffs than the Thunder are. LA wasn't built to chase a title, even with Doncic on the floor. Bringing him back would have been a pointless endeavor.
Obviously, the situation is different in OKC. They are trying to officially launch a dynasty, and J-Dub is a huge part of that. It's not an easy decision for the Thunder medical staff, as we've seen plenty of postseason tragic injuries in the recent past, whether it was Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum last season or Kevin Durant a few years back. If Williams isn't prudent, he could mess up his career by putting his body in harm's way for the sake of glory.
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