Thunder big man Jaylin Williams is available to make his season debut on Monday. Williams is no longer on the injury report, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets.
Oklahoma City plays the Wizards on Monday. Williams had been on the road with the team the past nine days while it played in the NBA Cup semifinals and finals in Las Vegas, then embarked on a two-game road trip to Florida. He went through individual workouts during that time.
Williams originally suffered a right hamstring strain early in training camp. The team stated in early October that he would miss the remainder of camp and the entire preseason while rehabbing the hamstring. The 22-year-old suffered a setback during a workout in late October. At the time, he was expected to miss four-to-six more weeks.
Williams was a valuable backup for Oklahoma City last season, averaging 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest in 69 games while shooting 36.8% from three-point range.
With Chet Holmgren still sidelined by a pelvic fracture, Williams could jump right into the rotation. The Thunder haven’t had their frontcourt healthy all season, with Williams sidelined until now, Isaiah Hartenstein‘s debut delayed until November 20, and Holmgren out since Nov. 10. However, they’re 22-5 and lead the Western Conference.
Williams was selected with the 34th pick in the 2022 draft. He signed a four-year contract that runs through the end of next season.
No wonder he’s always in civies during those interview celebrations.
Thunder have the best bench in the league