Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Jalen Williams will be sidelined for at least 7-10 days after undergoing surgery on Friday to address a right orbital bone fracture, the team announced.
Williams suffered the injury on Wednesday in the season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves when he took an elbow to the face from Jaden McDaniels. The play happened at the 4:29 mark of the second quarter when McDaniels made the contact on a drive to the rim.
The 12th pick hit the court in pain and stayed down for a few minutes to regroup. He eventually walked off the court on his own power and was ruled out after just six minutes of work.
He recorded five points and one assist with one 3-pointer.
Looks like Jalen Williams’ right eye is swollen shut pic.twitter.com/igGn952OoZ
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 20, 2022
Williams will likely wear a face mask for the foreseeable future once he is cleared to play. The team will continue to monitor his status over the next week, but Williams will likely miss at least 5-7 games until they reevaluate him again.
He had a tremendous run with the Thunder in the preseason, averaging 14.4 points, 5.2 assists, three rebounds and 1.8 steals in five games. He led the rookie class in assists and was second in total scoring.
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