As Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both stressed and acted upon following Jalen Williams' gruesome ankle injury Sunday night, the OKC Thunder must now find a way to push forward as they gear up for what should be an extended absence for their All-Star forward.
Fortunately, they already have the ideal replacement for his services on the roster in Ajay Mitchell.
Though not having J-Dub in the fold is certainly a serious blow for the Thunder, Mitchell proved last season just how much of an impact he can have on this Thunder squad when filling into his role as a top-three weapon.
In 16 starts during the 2025-26 regular season, the Santa Barbara product posted an impressive 14.9 points, 3.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game on 41.7 percent shooting from deep. On the year as a whole, Mitchell would tie for fourth on the team in on-court net rating.
His on-court productivity only seemed to rise further during their largely Williams-less postseason run, as he saw seven starts in the All-Star's place, averaging 18.4 points, 4.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game along the way.
Of course, not only were Mitchell's numbers boosted from his insertion into the starting five in place of Dub, but so too were the Thunder's, particularly in the win column, where they went a stellar 22-1 between both regular season and playoff action.
Now, with Williams presumably out indefinitely, expect OKC to try to improve upon this already astounding record with Mitchell reinstated as a starter.
Jalen Williams wasn't only Thunder to sustain game-ending injury Sunday
Though Williams was undoubtedly the biggest Thunder star to sustain a game-ending injury during Sunday's 108-101 win over the LA Clippers, he unfortunately wasn't the only one.
Before J-Dub's unfortunate fall, both Jaylin Williams and Cason Wallace were shut down earlier in the third period with a wrist and shoulder injury, respectively.
Both were visibly in considerable pain with their respective ailments, especially Wallace, who was reeling on the floor for some time after colliding with Isaiah Jackson on a moving screen. By the looks of it, his left shoulder seemed to have been popped out of place.
With Monday being the second night of a back-to-back, the expectation should be that none of these three will suit up for the Thunder against Phoenix. Of course, the hope moving forward is that they won't be shelved much longer than that.
Unlike for Williams, that hope still seems to be alive for Wallace and Jay Will.
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