Jalen Williams’ recovery timeline: What wrist surgery means for the Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder captured the 2024–25 NBA title by defeating the Indiana Pacers in the Finals, thanks to a dominant performance from several of their stars. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned Finals MVP honors, but Jalen Williams played an invaluable role for the team despite battling physical issues. Now, he has undergone surgery and is beginning his recovery process.

Williams dealt with pain in his right wrist throughout the postseason—a topic that had already drawn attention during the second-round series against the Denver Nuggets. Still, the forward managed to perform at a high level and contributed significantly to the team’s success.

However, after helping Oklahoma City secure the NBA championship, J-Dub finally underwent surgery on Tuesday to address the ligament injury once and for all.

“Jalen Williams underwent successful wrist surgery and will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks, team says,” reported Brett Siegel via his official X account. “He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the 2025–26 season.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named Finals MVP

That timeline means the 24-year-old forward faces a recovery period that will extend at least through early October. If all goes according to plan, he should be ready to rejoin his teammates in practice before the start of the regular season, which is scheduled to begin later that month.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets record-breaking contract after helping Oklahoma City Thunder win the NBA championship

The importance of Williams to OKC

After Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams was arguably the most impactful player for the Thunder throughout the 2024–25 campaign. He appeared in 69 of the team’s 82 regular season games and averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals—all career highs.

When the most crucial part of the year arrived, J-Dub didn’t slow down, maintaining similar production over 23 playoff games: 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game—an invaluable contribution to OKC’s title run.

Williams’ contract

Jalen Williams will enter the final year of his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder next season. After being selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, he signed a four-year, $20.3 million rookie deal, which is set to expire in the summer of 2026.

Given the forward’s strong performances and his impact during OKC’s championship run, it’s expected that he will soon receive an extension offer featuring a significant salary increase—reflecting his rising value and importance in the NBA.