After a season plagued by myriad injuries, many may have been under the impression that OKC Thunder star Jalen Williams took a large chunk of this past summer to focus on getting back to a place of full health.
However, to much surprise, the recovery process was a lot quicker that most may have realized.
During a sit-down with the folks at 98.1 FM's The Sports Animal at Monday's Thunder Media Day, Williams discussed his nagging hamstring strains from last year that were directly responsible for him being sidelined in 30 of his 49 missed games during the regular season and 10 of the club's 15 playoff bouts.
Amid the interview, Williams stressed that he never was able to get the proper time needed to fully rest his hamstring, as he noted, "every time I was coming back was like a very big moment," which, in turn, led him to attempt multiple returns on the shorter side of the recommended four-to-six weeks of recovery.
Now, months removed from Oklahoma City's season-ending loss to the Spurs in Game 7, it seems like J-Dub is confident his injury woes are behind him. In fact, he made sure to reveal that roughly a week after the NBA Finals came to an end, he felt "back to pretty close to like 100 percent."
We're talking late June here. With this, one should feel rather confident that that any and all worries regarding Williams' health status will cease to exist by the time October 20 rolls around.
Thunder star set to test newfoud health in 'playoff-type atmosphere'
As he stressed during an interview with NBA TV at media day, Williams is eager to get back onto the hardwood after such an extended period of dormancy.
In J-Dub's eyes, there's no better way for him to do so than on opening night of the 2026-27 season, as he expects there to be a "playoff-type atmosphere" in their face-off against the reigning Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs.
What's exciting for the star forward and fans alike is the fact that this will technically be the first time the Spurs will see a full-strength Williams since the 2024-25 campaign, for in their 12 total matchups against one another last season, he was either still hobbled from offseason wrist surgery or nagging hamstring strains.
San Antonio was fortunate that they never had to play a Thunder team equipped with a full-go All-NBA and All-Defensive talent like Jalen Williams last year. Right out of the gate this coming season, they may find out the hard way why they were so lucky.
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