Once the Western Conference Finals officially tip off, OKC Thunder star Jalen Williams will have had roughly a full month of rest and recovery under his belt following yet another run-in with a hamstring strain.
While many may believe it to be a forgone conclusion that the wing will immediately be inserted back into the starting five upon being medically cleared, considering how well their new-look lineup has fared with Ajay Mitchell stepping up in his place, a legitimate conversation needs to be had about whether this is actually the best course of action.
Interestingly enough, the Timberwolves proved during this postseason with Anthony Edwards that gradually bringing their cornerstone wing back into the swing of things and having him come off the pine while working through an injury can be both responsible and still highly successful.
The Thunder may want to consider following a similar path.
Thunder must consider bringing Jalen Williams off the bench upon return
After making his return to the hardwood following a multi-game absence due to a left knee injury, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch opted to be extra cautious with Edwards and had him take on a reserve role to start off their semifinal series against San Antonio in an effort to help him ease his way back to an in-game workload.
To the surprise of virtually everyone, the results proved rather successful, with Minnesota stealing homecourt advantage right out of the gates against the heavily favored Spurs and splitting the first two games 1-1.
With all due respect to the Wolves, as they certainly have an impressive collection of talent on their roster, if they can prevail with such an approach as constructed, this Thunder team should certainly be able to be as, if not more successful, should they approach Williams' return in the same way.
Let's not forget that since J-Dub was sidelined in Game 2 of their quarterfinal bout against Phoenix, Oklahoma City has continued their undefeated postseason run by winning six straight, while ranking second in offensive rating (126.7) and third in both net rating (14.3) and point differential (14.2).
On top of all this, the starting five of Mitchell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein finds itself placing in the 95 percentile in points per 100 possessions (129.8) and the 100 percentile in effective field goal percentage (67.3).
During the regular season, the Thunder proved more than capable of effectively running with Mitchell in the first five as Williams' injury replacement, as they went 12-1 in such instances, while he and Gilgeous-Alexander quietly established themselves as one of the league's most ferocious dynamic duos along the way.
Add their ongoing playoff success into the mix, and this record baloons to 18-1.
To be crystal clear, this proposed plan is not a plea to turn Williams into a sixth man for the remainder of their hopeful repeat run.
After all, when at full strength, the forward is a proven All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive stud who played a major role in Oklahoma City's first championship just a year ago.
However, considering just how dominant they've proven to be this postseason, the Thunder can afford to be extra cautious with Williams right out of the gate, which could be especially beneficial when considering just how riddled with injuries he's been throughout this year's campaign.
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