Jalen Williams Ruled Out for OKC Thunder's Bout Versus Sacramento

Oklahoma City will miss it's second leading scorer against the Kings on Saturday.

Jan 29, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) dribbles the ball next to Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) in the second quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

When it rains, it pours — at least when talking about the Thunder's injury report. The season began with several bumps and bruises, and the injury bug has been a common theme ever since.

Oklahoma City received more bad news on the injury front Saturday morning, although this case should be temporary. The Thunder listed Jalen Williams as out against Sacramento at home on Saturday night with a right wrist sprain, and OKC will certainly miss his services.

It started with Isaiah Hartenstein missing the first few weeks of the season, and then Chet Holmgren went down. Alex Caruso has missed quite a bit of time, and Ajay Mitchell is slated to be out for months. Every single player on the Thunder has missed at least one game besides Aaron Wiggins.

Oklahoma City already had its hands full against Sacramento, a team that has improved considerably since firing their head coach. Now the Thunder will be without its second All-Star, as Williams was announced as a first time participant earlier this week.

This will be the second game all season that Williams has missed. He's in the midst of a breakout campaign, averaging 21.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists with All-NBA level defense. He has been one of the best wing defenders in the league this season and has anchored Oklahoma City's unit with Holmgren on the bench.

Oklahoma City has relied heavily on Williams when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander heads to the bench even if the minutes have left a bit to be desired. Mark Daigneault is able to stagger minutes between Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander, and it's clear this team plays through its two top options. In the absence of Williams, OKC will need someone like Aaron Wiggins or Lu Dort to step up in a big way. Isaiah Joe has proven he's capable of big scoring outbursts, too.

For the Thunder's sake, hopefully it's a quick absence for Williams and he's back in the lineup sooner rather than later.

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