Healthy Jalen Williams Could be Only Change OKC Thunder Need Next Season

The Thunder have an interesting offseason ahead, but the most impactful thing may just be some better injury luck.

May 18, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) reacts in double overtime against the San Antonio Spurs during game one of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

The offseason has arrived, and the 2025 champions may not need a big splash to get back to the top in 2027.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s title defense came to a crashing halt in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals as the San Antonio Spurs managed to take down the top seed. Although the Thunder weren’t willing to take the easy way out and make excuses about the injuries they faced throughout the postseason, it’s undeniable that those injuries played a key role in the Thunder’s loss.

Most notably, Jalen Williams’ absence was a problem for Oklahoma City throughout the 2025-26 campaign as he dealt with his wrist injury coming into the year and a slew of hamstring strains in the second half of the season. After the tight Game 7 loss, many have pondered whether the Thunder need to make a big move in the offseason, retool a bit around the edges or trade up in the draft. 

While there’s some case to be made for just about every option, given Oklahoma City’s pool of assets, the biggest difference-maker for the Thunder next season would simply be a healthy Williams. After earning All-NBA and All-Defensive honors in his third season and helping the Thunder to a championship, it’s clear that Williams has the makings of a true two-way superstar.

Williams may not necessarily reach the individual heights of someone like Kawhi Leonard, but his importance to the Thunder is just as impactful as any star forward with his skillset. As Williams recovers from his hamstring issues in the offseason and ideally gets a mostly healthy offseason to work on his game, he could come back as the best version of himself.

Spending most of this season working through rust and going in and out of the lineup with various injuries, he never found a great rhythm until the latter stages of the season. Finally, he began to look like the star version of himself in the playoffs. In his three games of postseason action where he played at least 20 minutes, Williams averaged 22.3 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 52.9% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc.

As Williams noted in his exit interview, he believes he could’ve made a difference in the Spurs matchup and helped the Thunder reach the NBA Finals once again. Next season, he might have that chance.

Oklahoma City needs Williams to stay on the court next season. With so many flashes of superstar talent when he’s been able to get into a rhythm, a mostly healthy offseason followed by a healthy 82-game season could lead to a much-improved version of Williams that makes the Thunder nearly unbeatable in 2027.