Thunder in true rare form heading into final 10-game stretch of season

The OKC Thunder find themselves heading into their Wednesday night matchup against the Boston Celtics with a fully healthy core rotation for the first time in 2025-26.

Throughout the campaign, Oklahoma City has ranked near the top of the league in games lost to injury.

All-NBA forward Jalen Williams has been particularly hobbled by chomps from the injury bug, as he's missed a team-leading 45 games as a result of offseason wrist surgery and two separate bouts with a nagging hamstring strain.

Fortunately, he made his return to the hardwood in their previous tilt against the Philadelphia 76ers. Of course, with Ajay Mitchell's suspension for his scrum against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, the Thunder were still short of full strength.

Here in game one of their final 10-game stretch ahead of the postseason, fans should expect to see last year's title-winning starting five of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein take to the court together for just the seventh time this year.

Jalen Williams says he's back to full health ahead of Thunder playoff run

Williams' recent, injury-induced hiatus may have actually been the kind of rest and relaxation he needed, as he looked aces in his return to action against the Sixers, dropping a whopping 18 points, six assists, and four rebounds while shooting a highly efficient 57.1 percent from the field and clocking in with a plus-9.0 plus-minus in just 20 minutes of action.

Following the contest, the All-Star suggested that he's back to full health for the first time this season, telling reporters post-game that "my wrist has felt better than it ever has."

Considering he came into the campaign comparing his surgically repaired hand to putting Laffy Taffy in the freezer, "and then trying to bend it," this is undeniably the kind of exciting update Thunder fans have been dying to hear.

So far this season, Oklahoma City has gone 37-8 without J-Dub and has managed to maintain top-ranked defensive and net ratings, while simultaneously averaging a 116.7 offensive rating without him in tow.

Already, they were believed to be the favorites to take home this year's Larry O'Brien Trophy.

However, now adding a presumably healthy Williams, who not only posted sensational averages of 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals on 48.4 percent shooting from the field last season and played a key role in the club winning their first title of the Sooner State era, should give them a major bump in the odds department to become the first repeat champion in nearly a decade.