Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams has spent the better part of the past year fighting an uphill battle. Injuries have temporarily robbed him of his peak physical form, and while he was able to push through during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, they've cost him 46 games—and counting—in 2025-26.
Williams is thankfully back on the court and generally beginning to look like himself again, but his jump shot is unfortunately still a weakness. Thankfully, that hasn't eliminated his All-NBA impact.
There's ample reason to be concerned about Williams' jump shot, particularly in light of the wrist injury that may have changed the way he approaches it. He shot 36.5 percent during the 2024-25 regular season, but buried just 30.4 percent of his attempts during the playoffs.
That's carried over to 2025-26, with Williams shooting just 30.1 percent from beyond the arc between his 30 appearances thus far.
For as concerning as that may be, Williams continues to play at a star-caliber level outside of his three-point shooting. There have been inevitable ebbs and flows for a player who's still getting up to speed after an extended injury absence, but the flashes of brilliance have been unavoidable.
Williams' past five games have epitomized that truth, as he's looked the part of the All-NBA and even All-Defense honoree he was in 2024-25.
Jalen Williams is thriving in areas other than shooting for the Thunder
Williams scored 28 points in 20 minutes on Feb. 11, but unfortunately went down with a second hamstring injury in the span of a month. Since returning from a 16-game absence, he's looked like the same offensive dynamo he was in 2024-25—just in fewer minutes.
That began when Williams tallied 18 points and six assists on 8-of-14 shooting in his first game back, doing so in just 20 minutes of play.
Williams struggled the next time out, shooting just 2-of-9, but he bounced back with 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and a steal in 27 minutes just two days later. He then tallied 22 points in 29 minutes two days after that, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and burying his only three-point field goal attempt.
Each performance acted as a helpful reminder of the fact that, though his three-point field goal percentage has decreased, Williams is still playing like a star when healthy.
Jalen Williams is going off in limited minutes on road to recovery
A season ago, Williams averaged 24.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per 36 minutes. In his limited appearances in 2025-26, he's checked in at 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per 36.
Williams is also shooting 48.2 percent from the field, which is down but a hair from the 48.4 percent shooting he managed a season ago.
Beyond the numbers, he's adapted to his poor shooting by being more aggressive on the drive and taking on a larger role as a facilitator. The results have been undeniable, as the Thunder have their sixth-best offensive rating and their seventh-best defensive rating when Williams is on the court.
Considering Williams still hasn't had a chance to play consistent minutes that get him back into his rhythm, it's hard to fixate on a jumper that's changed little about his All-NBA value.