Overall, the OKC Thunder kicked off their campaign in tremendous fashion on Tuesday night.
They not only exacted revenge on the same team that bounced them from the Western Conference Finals a year ago, but they did so in a rather dominant fashion, besting the San Antonio Spurs 116-104.
Unfortunately, en route to their impressive win, Oklahoma City may have also come to an uncomfortable truth: Jalen Williams still hasn't found his shooting rhythm post-wrist surgery.
Thunder star still struggling with his shot well after surgery
Ever since he went under the knife to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, J-Dub's shooting stroke has wildly underwhelmed.
In 33 games played in 2025-26, when outside of the restricted area (shot 67.1 percent), Williams boasted a middling 37.3 percent clip in the mid-range and an even worse 29.9 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Compared to his averages of 45.9 percent and 36.5 percent, respectively, from the season prior, this success rate was a serious letdown.
Sadly, despite it now being over a year since the operation, and after several months of offseason rest and rehabilitation, it seems this inefficiency has carried over into these early stages of 2026-27, as he shot an abysmal 25.0 percent in the mid-range and, while he did make one of his two attempts from deep, Williams often passed up looks, even clean ones, from the perimeter against the Spurs.
Of course, this was merely the first game of an 82-game regular-season slate for the Thunder. With this in mind, there's still plenty of time for Williams to get into a groove and tap back into his pre-injury form.
However, while his hamstring seems to have benefited from several months off from action this summer, his shooting efficiency certainly hasn't.
Jared McCain's shot seems to be on another level
Though Williams' shot may still be off, Jared McCain's appears to be very much on.
After Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins were sent packing this past summer, guys like Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell were largely seen as the main beneficiaries of their departures.
However, McCain's lights-out shooting made it hard for coach Mark Daigneault to take him off the floor in favor of either.
In Tuesday's opener, McCain was tied for the second-most minutes off the pine with 22 while dropping 20 points on 77.8 percent shooting from the floor and cashing in on six of his eight three-point attempts.
His expertise in the shooting department came especially in handy during the second half as the Thunder kept the slight momentum San Antonio started to build largely at bay.
Hopefully, McCain's performance in game one is a sign of what's to come here in his first full season with the Thunder, especially if J-Dub's shot remains as is.
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