Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams underwent a successful procedure to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, the team announced today. He will be re-evaluated in approximately 12 weeks.
Sorry to be a J.Dub fanboy again, but this piece of news went under the radar. Apparently, he tore the main ligament that connects his hand to his arm in a game against Phoenix before the playoffs began.
The injury happened during a victory over the Phoenix Suns in the final week of the regular season, according to Thunder podcaster Andrew Schlecht. Williams finished that game with 33 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 turnovers in 36 minutes — a do-it-all performance emblematic of the all-around impact he had throughout a campaign that earned him the first All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defensive honors of his young career.
This also maybe explains why a career 38% 3-point shooter shot 30% from 3 these playoffs.
I suffered this exact injury before the pandemic. Obviously, NBA players get better treatment than plebs like me, but it completely took me out of basketball for a couple years. I couldn't catch a basketball with that hand, I couldn't even dribble. Turning doorknobs, pushing myself out of the bath, lifting boxes if there were any sudden change in angle... all practically impossible. Before reconstructive surgery, I could still shoot, I just couldn't take any load on the wrist at all.
