Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jalen Williams declares fit for conference finals
Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams has declared himself fully healthy ahead of the Western Conference finals following a six-game absence with a hamstring strain.
The standout forward missed the entirety of his team’s second-round sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers due to a Grade 1 tear in his left leg.
However, the former All-NBA selection confirmed his impending return to the court via a video posted to his YouTube channel on Friday.
“It’s good that I haven’t had to rush back from my hamstring stuff at all.”
He added that the comprehensive series victory over Los Angeles afforded him crucial additional recovery time before facing either the Timberwolves or the Spurs.
Cautious approach yields play-off dividends
The versatile playmaker initially suffered the injury during the third quarter of a Game 2 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Prior to his early exit, the 23-year-old had enjoyed a spectacular start to the post-season, registering 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the opening fixture.
Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault noted that his key contributor was progressing following a recent practice session but declined to elaborate further.
The Western Conference top seeds are not officially required to update player availability until the evening before the series opener.
Overcoming regular-season adversity
It has been a highly fractured campaign for the gifted scorer, who was restricted to just 33 regular-season appearances.
He missed the opening 19 fixtures recovering from off-season wrist surgery before enduring two separate absences with a right hamstring issue.
In his absence against the Lakers, teammate Ajay Mitchell excelled in a starting role, averaging 22.5 points and six assists across four contests.
“I’m never worried about the team.”
“My worry always comes from making sure that I’m able to get myself to a point where I can help the team when I’m sitting out for that long.”
With the squad performing at an elite level, the returning star emphasised there was absolutely no pressure to rush his rehabilitation ahead of the upcoming series.