Jalen Williams went down with 1:14 left in Sunday’s 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Paycom Center. He was fouled by Kris Dunn on a drive, came down awkwardly, and his left leg collapsed under him, with his foot bending outward. He missed 49 games last season with hamstring problems and recovery from wrist surgery. The Thunder have not announced a diagnosis.
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Now, according to Bill Simmons, his gruesome injury may force the Oklahoma City Thunder into the trade market.
On “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Simmons said Williams isn’t Oklahoma City’s best player, but he is the hardest to replace.
“As weird as this sounds, he wasn’t the best player on their team, but I think he was the hardest guy to replace for them,” Simmons said. “They had depth everywhere else, and this was the one spot where he was kind of the one-of-one for them. Like the swingman with size, Swiss Army knife, could play different positions, could play a little point guard for them.”
That is why Simmons believes that the Thunder will have to make a move.
“I think they’re going to actually have to make a trade because they have a real hole now,” he added. “The guy I would get if I was them is Herb Jones because he’s barely playing for New Orleans. They have some picks. They have a swap with the Clippers that they could put in a trade. They don’t really have any big contracts, but they have some smaller ones, or else they could put somebody like Hartenstein in a trade with other stuff, but I think they’re going to have to get a wing with size”
Hartenstein would be a significant piece to move. The center re-signed with the Thunder in June on a three-year, $75 million deal.
Williams is versatile with a 6-foot-6 with a wingspan. He can handle the ball, and defend bigger players, a mix the Thunder don’t have elsewhere on the roster. In fact, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s shooting becomes even more dangerous with Williams’ impressive passing ability.
Simmons also described the moment it became clear the injury was serious.
“Jalen Williams goes up, falls, and you could tell it’s bad because the ball boy came over and threw the towel over his ankle, which is like, oh no,” Simmons explained.
Williams was taken off the court on a stretcher and gave the crowd two thumbs up as fans chanted his nickname. SGA covered his face on the bench and fought back tears in his postgame interview.
“Yeah, I don’t even know. I just feel bad for him. Nothing more than that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
The sports analyst was even excited to see Williams play this year. However, his gruesome injuries may very well be a season-ending disaster for the player.
As Simmons mentioned, the problem is perhaps even greater than just losing a player. Jalen Williams plays a rather crucial role in the team, almost like the glue that makes the team cohesive.
Getting someone similar would mean perhaps a trade, which puts a lot of players under the radar, especially those who have spent fewer minutes playing with the team.
Whether OKC will actually do it or not is anyone’s best guess.