Falling five wins shy of back-to-back NBA championships, the Oklahoma City Thunder will likely look back at the 2025-26 season thinking of two words — what if?
What if Jalen Williams were healthy? Or Ajay Mitchell? The Thunder fell in a Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. And while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did enough to get the win with 35 points and nine assists, nobody else stepped up to the plate to cross the finish line.
In fact, Gilgeous-Alexander’s best help was in street clothes. Williams was once again ruled out. After trying to gut things out in a surprising Game 6 return, it was obvious that playing through a hamstring strain was just not feasible. In OKC’s biggest game of the year, the All-NBA talent was once again sidelined.
The Thunder and Williams hope for better injury luck next year. Conventional wisdom said they needed him to outlast the Spurs in a playoff series. Against the rest of the league, OKC could’ve managed to survive his absence. That theory turned out to be true as they ran out of scoring juice by the end of the epic seven-game series.
“I don’t do the hypothetical thing too much because it does not solve anything that’s going on right now. But to humor your question, obviously I think I could’ve made an impact,” Williams said. “I think we could’ve won if I played. Went to seven with them without me playing. I don’t think I make us worse.”
Sometimes, it’s just not your year. After being sneakily durable his first three seasons, Williams was the opposite this year. He only played in 33 regular-season games and two whole NBA playoff games. Two wrist surgeries delayed his start by a month. And then four hamstring strains in five months essentially tanked any shot at a last-minute surge to salvage his campaign.
“I don’t know if as many teams could be as injured as we were and do what we just did. That’s a huge testament to the team and just what they had to do,” Williams said. “The amount of injuries we had throughout the year, just pivotal moments for us to step up and be No. 1 in the West for a third year and obviously get to the Western Conference Finals and go to seven with the Spurs.”
Alas, such is the price of playing through torn wrist ligaments in OKC’s championship run last year. Williams will gladly take that trade-off again if given the chance. After all, championship rings are forever. But the 25-year-old believed he could’ve made a difference in their clash against the Spurs in the 2026 Western Conference Finals.
You need as much luck as talent to win an NBA championship. The Thunder simply didn’t have the former. Not just in the NBA playoffs, but all year. They juggled injuries all year successfully on their way to an NBA-best 64-18 regular-season record. Eventually, though, their ambitions collapsed. Now, you hope the health variable is on their side this time next year.
“They’re a good team. It would’ve been a challenge if I played or not, but I definitely think I could have changed the series,” Williams said. “But we’ll just have to wait until we meet again at some point.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Jalen Williams believes he could’ve made a difference in Thunder-Spurs WCF
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