EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOklahoma City Thunder star forward Jalen Williams is off the injury report and will return for Monday's road game against the Philadelphia 76ers after missing the last five-plus weeks due to a strained right hamstring strain, sources told ESPN on Sunday.Williams, who has twice strained the hamstring this season, comes back with 11 games remaining in the regular season.Injuries have limited Williams, a third-team All-NBA selection last season, to only 26 games this season. The Thunder are hopeful that Williams will be able to establish a rhythm entering the playoffs.Williams missed the first 19 games while recovering from surgery on his right wrist, which he injured in the final week of the 2024-25 regular season. He delayed the operation to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his shooting wrist until after the playoffs, averaging 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game during the Thunder's championship run despite requiring frequent pain-killing injections in his wrist. He has struggled to regain his shooting form, averaging 17.5 points per game while shooting a career-low 31.3% from 3-point range this season.Williams first strained his hamstring during a Jan. 17 road loss to the Miami Heat. He missed the next 10 games, returning for a Feb. 9 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers.However, Williams aggravated the strain two nights later, prematurely ending a spectacular individual performance in a Feb. 11 road win over the Phoenix Suns. He scored 28 points on 11-of-12 shooting in 20 minutes before limping off the floor.The Thunder have a league-best 56-15 record, including an 11-game winning streak since reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned from an abdominal strain. Oklahoma City has had the second-most missed games due to injuries, trailing only the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN Research.The Thunder's projected starting lineup of Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein has played just five games together this season.
