The Oklahoma City Thunder were exquisite last season. Everyone saw the insane amount of talent and dedication this group of players possesses. What makes their achievement much more impressive is the fact that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. were the youngest bunch of players to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy since the Trail Blazers, who did it back in 1977. However, this also raises the question of will the OKC Thunder will be the team to end this seven-year-seven champions run?

Well, if we look at this core of players and also the coaches and management around them, there’s no reason to believe that OKC cannot win back-to-back titles. However, it’s not that simple. The last team to achieve this remarkable feat was the iconic Golden State Warriors team, which did so in 2017 and 2018. Although OKC is a favorite to break the seven-year streak, their general manager, Sam Presti, thinks that the odds are stacked against them.

During his end-of-season presentation on Monday, the OKC GM gave a reality check to the Oklahoma City fans. “Now we’ve got to keep going,” Presti stated. “We’ve got to keep pressing on. And the odds are clearly stacked against us…” There’s no doubt that the odds won’t be in OKC’s favor, given next season they’ll be the team to beat, and not to mention the immense pressure that comes with the champion title, something to which most teams succumb later in the season.

Presti also listed reasons why repeating a title win is so hard: “randomness, hubris, and fatigue” are several of the forces that work against the defending champions, according to Sam Presti. “They knock on your door every single day, and they knock a hell of a lot harder once you have success.” He added. The Thunder GM does have a fair point. There’s a reason why we’ve had seven different champions in seven seasons. Although it’s difficult, if we had to pick one team, it would be the OKC Thunder.

We mean, coming off a 68-win season, and who can forget that incredible postseason run. Moreover, players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams are all only going to get better next season. However, it seems that the “randomness” and “fatigue” Presti mentioned in his interview have already caught up with the team, as he revealed devastating news about Jalen Williams’ injury.

OKC Thunder title hopes take a hit with Jalen Williams’ surgery news

A huge offseason awaits the Oklahoma City Thunder. Of course, this comes after they proved all their doubters wrong last season and won their first-ever NBA Championship (under the new banner). However, now a much more daunting task awaits the Thunder, as they’ll have to bear the weight of being the champions and keep this core together. But it seems that they’re hopes of repeating this triumph have already taken a massive hit.

Recall the wrist issues that OKC guard Jalen Williams dealt with during the latter stages of the season. Although it didn’t seem like much back then, Thunder’s GM, Sam Presti, has revealed that Williams will undergo surgery on his right wrist due to a ligament tear. “Jalen Williams has a ligament tear in his wrist, and it happened against Phoenix late in the season. The Thunder knew he would need surgery at the end of the season, and he will make a full recovery.” Andrew Schlecht reported.

This is a huge revelation, as it indicates that the 24-year-old Thunder guard played at least two months through pain. Although he did manage to put up stunning performances during the postseason, this news changes the entire picture for the franchise, aiming to build a dynasty. Williams put up stunning numbers, averaging 21.4 points along with 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists during the playoffs. So, not having him on the floor next season will leave a huge void for the team.

However, the good news is that Sam Presti and the rest of the front office believe that Jalen Williams will be able to recover during the offseason and will be able to participate in the team camp that starts in September. There’s no doubt that Williams is a key piece for the Thunder going forward, given there were rumors to be talks of the franchise offering him a mega extension, which makes this surgery news even more devastating. Nonetheless, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this situation as it develops further.