The Oklahoma City Thunder's championship defence season will have to start without their second-leading scorer from a season ago.
Starting guard Jalen Williams was not listed on the Thunder's opening night roster for Tuesday's matchup against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.
Williams, 24, is recovering from off-season wrist surgery after helping OKC capture the franchise's first championship in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Williams is not expected to miss an extended stretch, despite Oklahoma City not publicly discussing specifics of the guard's timetable for a return.
The former 12th overall pick in 2022 broke out in Year 3 as he averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals on 48.4/36.5/78.9 per cent shooting splits through 69 regular-season games. Williams' efforts earned him a first-career all-star nod while he made all-NBA third team and was a second-team all-defensive selection.
His numbers took a slight dip in the playoffs — namely his three-point percentage dropping to 30.4 — as he battled the wrist injury. Williams was seen wearing a wrist brace on his shooting hand at times while having also having it tapped during games.
The Denver-born guard, along with backcourt running mate and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, led the Thunder to a franchise-record 68 wins en route to be being the youngest championship team in NBA history.
OKC rewarded the burgeoning star in the off-season, signing Williams to a five-year rookie maximum contract extension that could reach up to $287 million.
