OKC Thunder Need Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in MVP Form After Jalen Williams Injury

The Thunder will be without their All-NBA forward for a bit, and they need their superstar to step up once again.

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots against the Phoenix Suns in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City is set to be without one of its All-Stars, but it still has a superstar to lean on.

On Wednesday night, the Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 120-107 to take a 2-0 lead in the first round. While the Thunder came away with a win, they also suffered a much more impactful loss, as Jalen Williams left in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury.

On Thursday, the Thunder confirmed a Grade 1 hamstring strain for Williams, who will be evaluated on a weekly basis. While it’s not ideal, that news is still far from the worst-case scenario, largely because the Thunder have arguably the best player in the league to carry the load in the short term.

With Williams almost certainly set to miss the rest of the first round, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be at the forefront of everything Oklahoma City is hoping to accomplish. Of course, this isn’t exactly uncharted territory for the MVP, who excelled throughout the regular season, including multiple lengthy absences from Williams.

While it won’t necessarily be easy with defenses able to put even more attention on him moving forward, performances similar to his Game 2 outing should be more than enough to get the Thunder through this stretch. On Wednesday, Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 37 points and nine assists on 13-of-25 shooting in the Thunder win.

While it will be crucial for guys like Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell to carry a bit more of the offensive load without Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander will still be the leader for the Thunder. In the stretches where Williams was out, Gilgeous-Alexander consistently put together incredible performances with large scoring totals.

Considering the Thunder have so many capable defenders, the defense shouldn’t take too much of a hit, at least in the first round. That means Gilgeous-Alexander should be able to still put most of his energy toward carrying the Thunder offense.

Without Williams, the minutes with Gilgeous-Alexander off the floor will be some of the most critical in upcoming games. Of course, if Gilgeous-Alexander is able to play somewhere around 35-40 minutes in both games in Phoenix, the Thunder might have enough to get out of the first round unbeaten.

The Thunder’s depth will certainly help Gilgeous-Alexander as he leads the team, but when things get tight, it will come down to how well the MVP and Clutch Player of the Year performs. If the regular season is any indication of what’s to come, the Thunder are in great hands when Gilgeous-Alexander is on the floor.