Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault on Friday said rookie Jaylin Williams is dealing with a sprained left ankle after injuring it on Wednesday versus the Orlando Magic.
Williams appeared to step on the foot of a defender while attempting a layup in the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss. He stayed in the game to shoot his free throws but checked out during the next possession and was ruled out of returning by the team.
He finished with three points and two rebounds in 11 minutes of work.
Williams was ruled out of playing on Friday versus Washington. Daigneault said Williams’ ankle is sore but it doesn’t appear to be a serious injury, according to Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire.
Mark Daigneault said Jaylin Williams’ ankle is pretty sore but that it’s not a week-to-week situation like JRE’s
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) January 6, 2023
The injury occurred as Williams had just entered the rotation with the team dealing with several injuries in the frontcourt. He started in three of the last four games and averaged three points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists over that stretch.
Williams has spent much of the season in the G League with the OKC Blue. He is averaging 14.7 points, 8.7 rebounds 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals on 62.1% shooting from the field in 12 games. He is one of 11 players this season to record a triple-double.
The team has largely kept him with the Blue in order to grow and develop as a player. The plan appears to be paying off as Williams has improved throughout the season.
Daigneault outlined some of the growth by Williams on Wednesday.
I think he is learning the nuances of the pick-and-roll game, which is a huge growth point for him — on both ends of the floor. That’s really where a lot of his development work has been focused up until this point. I think if you look at where he was in summer league and where he is now, there has been a lot of improvement there that is a byproduct of summer league, end of the summer to fall buildup, training camp and Blue minutes.
The Thunder have certainly been encouraged by what they’ve seen from Williams thus far. Though the injury came at an inopportune time, the 34th pick appears to have a bright future ahead with the team.
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