It's already understood that the OKC Thunder are heading into the 2025-26 campaign at less than full strength following the recent operations for both veteran Kenrich Williams and redshirted rookie Nikola Topic.
However, as the days dwindle down toward their October 21 regular-season tip-off, it seems increasingly likely that All-Star Jalen Williams will be joining them for the opener on the sidelines in street clothes.
Unbeknownst to the public at the time, the forward tore a ligament in his right hand during last year's playoff run, forcing him to fully rework his shooting motion along the way as a result and, ultimately, undergo offseason surgery.
While the procedure took place all the way back in early July, according to Williams himself, he's not where he wants to be in his recovery.
He specifically told reporters at media day that he was held back from partaking in any rigorous basketball activities throughout the summer and is still a ways away from returning to pre-injury form.
With this, there's a growing fear that J-Dub may not be eligible to start off the season on the active roster. Even if he is, there's a more than likely chance that he won't be at 100 percent health.
Either way, it may be quite a while before Thunder fans get to see the All-NBA version of Williams on the floor.
Thunder fans may have to wait to see Jalen Williams get back to normal
Sure, an injured Jalen Williams still proved capable of serving as the number two option on this championship-winning Thunder team last season. He even posted a 40-point performance under the bright lights of the NBA Finals with his banged-up wrist.
Of course, this version of the forward was far from the consistently dependable cornerstone he had established himself as before injury.
Without any setbacks, Williams is an elite offensive weapon and an established All-Defensive talent who, in 2024-25, dropped career-best averages of 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and just shy of a block per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor and 36.5 percent shooting from deep.
He's already considered to be the 11-best player in the NBA (according to ESPN) and, at only 24 years old, is believed to still have several other levels to climb in his career trajectory.
Considering he just inked a brand new $239.9 million deal with the ball club this past offseason, both fans and the Thunder organization were hoping to see Williams take yet another step as soon as 2025-26.
Sadly, being that he's compared his wrist to putting Laffy Taffy in the freezer, "and then trying to bend it," it doesn't seem like we'll be seeing him take said step any time soon.