After one of the darkest days in franchise history, the Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to move forward. They will be without Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for the foreseeable future. Both sustained season-altering injuries in their win over the LA Clippers.
Williams sustained a fracture fibula and a dislocated ankle. He had surgery to repair both. He's expected to be re-evaluated before the 2026-27 regular season ends. Wallace sustained a torn shoulder labrum. He's also set to have surgery for it.
This is the reality the Thunder find themselves in. Five games into the 2026-27 regular season, they go from the top title favorite to a team trying to rediscover their identity with two of their four best players out for several months. The next
three months will determine the direction OKC goes at the 2027 NBA trade deadline — stand pat, add outside help or sell off pieces?
The Thunder hope to salvage the season still. Williams and Wallace have shown support to their teammates since they sustained their brutal injuries. While Williams is still recovering elsewhere from surgery, Wallace was with OKC in their loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
Here's what the Thunder had to say about Wallace's presence on the bench — arm in sling — and Williams' support for them to move forward without them:
Mark Daigneault
"It's been great having him around. The guys have heard from Dub. I think that's kinda giving the guys permission to get ready every night and go compete. Obviously, you want to appropriately empathize with those guys. The guys have. But those guys have been amazing, Cason and Dub, just in terms of staying plugged into the team and making the guys feel like they can go out there and compete every night as a team."
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
"Before teammates, we're brothers, we're friends. We knew that was never going to leave us. It'll be like that for the rest of our lives. Having those guys around still make it really good for us."
Ajay Mitchell
"They're a big part of our team, so it's great just to have them around, hear from them. I mean, they have great spirit. I think that helps all of us. To just go out there and compete at the highest level. So, it's great."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace encourage OKC Thunder to move on with NBA life
