Are the Thunder finally healthy as a team?
Here's the latest on the reigning champions' general health ahead of their Sunday night game with the Knicks.
Without context, it's unsurprising that the Oklahoma City Thunder currently sit both at the top of the Western Conference standings and possess the NBA's best record. After all, they are the reigning champions that essentially brought back their 2025 championship-winning roster for another run. Greatness is the bare minimum expectation for this Thunder team.
Full stop. It is, however, surprising to learn about how the Thunder have managed to be at or near the top of the NBA again. That's because injuries have kind of ravaged Oklahoma City this season, with guys like reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder role players being forced to pick up the slack more than anyone would like.
Amongst all these injury troubles, Gilgeous-Alexander's running mate, Jalen Williams, has had the biggest absence. After an All-NBA, All-Defense, and All-Star season last year, Williams has played in just 29 of a possible 74 games so far, largely due to recent hamstring issues. And yet, there the Thunder, pacing the entire NBA again.
Huh. The good news for the Thunder moving forward is that they appear to finally be healthy, at least regarding their regular rotation. Williams, for one, already has three recent games under his belt, scoring 18 points twice.