Even at well under full strength, last year's OKC Thunder squad still managed to win 64 games, sweep their way through the first two rounds of the postseason, and came up just one win shy of reaching their second consecutive NBA Finals.
This time around, the hope is that their health woes are now predominantly behind them, especially when it comes to the likes of Jalen Williams.
The All-Star played in just 33 games last season due to lingering effects from his offseason wrist surgery and multiple hamstring strains.
Even when he was on the hardwood, it was more than evident that he was far from his 2024-25 self, who dropped a ridiculous 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor and 36.5 percent shooting from deep while serving as the second-best player during OKC's championship run.
Assuming his injuries are now in the rearview, the Thunder should expect J-Dub to come into 2026-27 at 100 percent.
Considering this is virtually the same core that just clinched their third-straight number one seed in the Western Conference, adding an All-NBA and All-Defensive player like Williams into the mix should only make them even more frightening for opposing clubs to square off against.
Jalen Williams has not earned 'injury prone' label with Thunder
Last season has led many to view Jalen Williams as an "injury prone" type of player.
However, while he was certainly unreliable from a health standpoint in 2025-26, the fact of the matter is he's been far more of an Ironman throughout his tenure with the Thunder than an injury concern.
Before last year, Williams was regularly clearing the 65-game mark in a season, reaching 70-plus in two of his three previous campaigns.
In fact, even when he was hobbled by injury, the Thunder star has often proven that he's willing to play through it.
The prime example of this being the case came throughout the club's 2025 title run, where he suited up for each one of their 23 playoff games despite suffering from a torn scapholunate ligament that forced him to alter his shooting motion due to the pain, and that had long-standing residuals that bled into the following season.
Again, while his 2025-26 season was certainly hampered by injuries, it's hard to brand Williams as injury-prone, given that in every other season he's consistently been available.
If anything, last season seems to be an outlier. That's the hope, anyway.
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