Jalen Williams could potentially return for the 2026 NBA Finals if the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters Saturday.
Daigneault said Williams, who was ruled out Friday from playing in Game 7, didn’t suffer a setback from his hamstring injury after playing 10 minutes in Game 6.
“He came out of the game about where he went,” Daigneault said (h/t OKC Thunder Wire’s Clemente Almanza).
Daigneault continued: “Depending on what happens today, if we’re fortunate enough to win and advance, he’ll continue his rehab and we’ll take the same process as we go forward.”
The Thunder are set to tip off Game 7 against the Spurs on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET in Oklahoma City.
Daigneault said Williams “didn’t do a full return to play” ahead of Game 6, during which he was held to just one point. The Thunder were also outscored by 18 points when Williams was on the court.
“We knew he wouldn’t be 100 percent. We didn’t know what that would look like and what he’d be able to do when he got out in the game,” Daigneault said Saturday. “The only way to find that out was to get him out there.”
The Thunder ultimately ruled out Williams the day before Game 7.
Williams has so far missed 49 regular-season games and nine postseason contests with injuries including wrist and hamstring issues.
He enjoyed a strong Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, during which he posted 26 points and seven rebounds in 37 minutes of a double-overtime loss to the Spurs. Williams then exited Game 2 early with hamstring tightness.
Williams sat out Games 3 through 5 with the injury before making his brief return in Game 6.
The Thunder have gotten enough offensive production behind two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to make it to Game 7 of the conference finals despite getting just three full playoff games from Williams during that run.
Oklahoma City will once more need depth contributors to step up in order to shut down Victor Wembanyama on Saturday night and earn a chance to play the New York Knicks for a title.
Should the Thunder get to the NBA Finals, getting Williams back in the lineup could be key to his team’s hopes of repeating as champions. Williams has played roles both as a defensive matchup to Karl-Anthony Towns and a scorer who can take advantage of focus on Gilgeous-Alexander during past games against the Knicks.
