As expected, the reigning champs will beshorthanded Tuesday night.
Star wing Jalen Williams has been ruled out in Game 1 against the Lakers due to aGrade 1 hamstring strain.
“He’s progressing according to plan, I would say,”Thunder head coach Mark Daigneaultsaid Monday when speaking with media. “In terms of a timeline, we’re not going to release that. We’ll continue to let you guys know on a week-to-week basis.”
It was an injury-ravaged season for Williams in which he only played 33 games, less than half the regular season.
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He was sidelined for the Thunder’s first 19 games, during which they went 18-1, because of offseason surgery on his right wrist.
He then missed 10 games between January and February because of a right hamstring strain, playing in two games, before aggravating the hamstring and missing another five weeks.
Williams played in the first two games of Oklahoma City’s first-round series vs. the Suns. He averaged 20.5 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, a good sign after he averaged 17.1 points per game during the regular season.
However, he suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain during Game 2 of the series against Phoenix on April 22.
Because Grade 1 hamstring strains typically heal in one to two weeks, there was a good chance Williams would return by the beginning of this next round. But Williams’ injury appears to be worse than originally expected after Daigneault’s comments.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
