Jalen Williams’ Responsibility Increases With Recent OKC Thunder Injury

Oklahoma City needs Jalen Williams to handle the rock with Ajay Mitchell sidelined.
Jan 8, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots over the defense of  Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Jan 8, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots over the defense of Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Oklahoma City received more unfortunate injury news this week, with the turf toe diagnosis for rookie point guard Ajay Mitchell. The Thunder’s backup ball handler has had a breakout season and contributed more than anyone could’ve expected in year one.

Mitchell will be out for the foreseeable future, as Oklahoma City hopes he can heal up for the team’s playoff run. In the mean time, the creation off the bench could take a huge hit. Nobody knew how important he’d be to this team, but his presence will be missed as the Thunder’s second unit looks to initiate offense.

Before Mitchell’s emergence, the general thought was that Jalen Williams would lead the second unit as he usually stays on the floor when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs a breather. While he has indeed led the second unit, Mitchell has provided so much extra help. Now, it’ll be up to Williams to make up for the loss of the backup point guard.

In the team’s first game without Mitchell, Williams did a great job leading the second unit and distributing the basketball. In 33 minutes, he totaled 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting to go along with five assists and just one turnover. The bench unit, in turn, exploded. The reserves totaled 50 points, including 31 from Isaiah Joe.

He's averaging a career-high 5.2 assists per game, but hasn't looked fully comfortable operating the second unit just yet. He'll get a chance to settle into his groove completely with this opportunity.

Moving forward, it’ll be important for Williams to continue improving on his creation skills and be a lead guard for the backups. Over his first two years in Oklahoma City, he has shown he’s more than capable. 


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Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Ross is a 2023 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the OU Daily and Prep Hoops. He now works for the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee and covers OU sports for AllSooners.com. He has been covering the Thunder since the 2019-20 season.