The Oklahoma City Thunder (53-12) are possibly the deepest and most balanced squad in the NBA, and therefore they can overcome almost all the adversity the basketball gods throw in their path. But Jalen Williams is their X-factor. Replicating his value for an extended period of time would be arduous. While the team is hopeful he will return to action soon, the 23-year-old will be sidelined for at least the next game.
After exiting in the second quarter of Monday's loss to the Denver Nuggets due to a hip strain, Williams is being ruled out for Wednesday's marquee matchup with the Boston Celtics (47-18), per NBA insider Chris Haynes.
OKC head coach Mark Daigneault will look to guys like Aaron Wiggins, Luguentz Dort and Isaiah Joe to replace the supplemental scoring punch Williams provides on a regular basis. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren will also have to bring their best if the Thunder hope to take down the defending NBA champions in their own building.
The Thunder's chemistry and depth is elite, but the Celtics can claim the same. What might have been a good barometer to measure how Oklahoma City stacks up against Boston in a potential NBA Finals clash will now be a test of the group's resilience.
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What Jalen Williams means to the Thunder
Jalen Williams is not merely a sidekick to the MVP frontrunner. He is a two-way force who can close out games if necessary. The 23-year-old out of Santa Clara University is posting 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals per contest while shooting 47.8 percent from the field. Wednesday's battle in TD Garden will mark only the fifth game he has missed this season. Hopefully, that number does not climb much higher.
Dort was 8-of-14 from behind the 3-point line on Monday and will look to stay unconscious from long range versus the Celtics. The Thunder will trust him and the rest of their guys to pick up the slack. This is the type of challenge the young and hungry team embraces.
The silver lining to Williams' setback is that another or multiple players can gain invaluable experience by carrying a big workload in a heightened atmosphere.
