OKC Thunder's Jalen Williams couldn't play in the 2026 NBA playoffs Western Conference semis against the Los Angeles Lakers, but it didn't bother him as much. Williams, who was out with a hamstring injury, watched his team sweep the 17-time NBA champions 4-0.
The fun part for him was watching fans from the other side crash out on X with each loss. Here's what he said in an appearance on Lakers coach JJ Redick's former podcast, "The Young Man & The Three" (formerly The Old Man & The Three) on Thursday's episode:
"I don't want to say I was happy I was out, but that was a fun series to be out for. Every time we had a good game, I would go straight to Twitter (X)."
The Lakers kept Shai Gilgeous-Alexander comparatively quiet but had no answers for rising star Ajay Mitchell. Entering that series, nobody expected Mitchell to be a difference-maker. He averaged 22.5 points and 6.0 assists, shooting 56.3% from the field. Mitchell closed out the Lakers with a 28-point night in Game 4. He was the primary reason Lakers fans crashed out.
Lakers fans didn't take Williams' admission well and hit back at the star forward. Many fans trolled him about checking X during the Thunder's conference finals loss to San Antonio. One wrote:
"Did he scroll Twitter during the Spurs series?"
The Thunder have an exciting season ahead as they hope to reclaim their title after falling short last year. OKC is back at full strength, mainly with Jalen Williams 100% healthy. The 2025 All-Star played only 33 regular-season games after an early-season absence due to offseason wrist surgery, followed by a hamstring injury that limited him.
Williams then missed the entire Lakers series and sat out four conference finals games. His absence hurt OKC's offense, especially with Chet Holmgren struggling to step up as the No. 2 option. Holmgren averaged 10.7 ppg in the conference finals, shooting 51.0% on 7.3 attempts. In the only game Williams played from start to finish, he scored 26 points.
Williams seems to have recovered from his injuries and is showing out in the preseason. Williams has averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 21.6 minutes per game in three outings. He's shooting 56.4% from the field. Williams has also been aggressive on defense, which further sums up his fitness.
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