Thunder Remain Favorite in Latest NBA Finals Odds Despite Scary Jalen Williams Injury

Oklahoma City Thunder All-NBA wing Jalen Williams suffered an awful ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the team's win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night.

Williams was stretchered off after the injury, and while the team has not officially announced a diagnosis as of Sunday night, it appears he's facing a long recovery.

Jalen Williams has suffered a serious ankle injury, and they are bringing out the stretcher

Sending prayers. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/slBsN4GB4d
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 26, 2026

Williams was a driving force in Oklahoma City's title run in the 2024-25 season, and he played through a wrist ligament injury during that run that cost him the start of the 2025-26 season. The former lottery pick was limited to just 33 regular season games last season due to hamstring injuries, and he played in just five of the team's playoff games after aggravating the issue.

Now, it appears Williams' 2026-27 season has been cut incredibly short. The Thunder (3-0) moved on from Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe in the offseason, and they'll have to turn to players like Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, Cason Wallace (also injured on Sunday) and others to step into bigger roles this season.

Despite the injury to Williams, oddsmakers at DraftKings have left the Thunder as the favorite to win the NBA Finals at +225. They are ahead of the San Antonio Spurs (+320), Philadelphia 76ers (+950) and New York Knicks (+1000) through the first five days of the 2026-27 season. Clearly, there is a belief in OKC's roster to still play at a championship level, but that becomes much harder without Willims.

After all, the Thunder came up short in last season's Western Conference Finals against San Antonio with both Williams and Mitchell dealing with injuries.

This season, Williams is averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game while shooting just 38.5 percent from the field. At his best, Williams was an All-NBA performer, averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game during OKC's title season. He was a first-time All-Star and made an All-Defensive team in the 2024-25 campaign.

There's a long way to go in the 2026-27 season, and the Thunder have the draft assets and young talent to make a move to help them fill the void left by Williams' injury.

Honestly, it's awful to see such a talented young player deal with so many injury issues over the last 18 months. Hopefully, Williams is able to make a full recovery and will return to the court sooner rather than later.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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