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The Oklahoma City Thunder will begin their title defense Tuesday night with a home tilt against their Western Conference rival Houston Rockets. A familiar face will be coming to town, as Kevin Durant is making his Rockets debut in front of his old Oklahoma City crowd. The Thunder, heavy favorites to repeat as NBA champions, are returning the entire core that won them their first title. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also high in odds to take home the award once again, with only the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic ahead of him. In what should be another great season for Oklahoma City, they are going to have to start it short-handed. The Thunder are missing two key contributors on Opening Night. Jalen Williams Out With Wrist Injury to Start Season Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams will be out for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets, as he is still recovering from offseason wrist surgery. The Thunder’s No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft signed a five-year $240 million contract in July. The third-team All-NBA and second-team All-Defensive forward had torn ligaments in his wrist, stemming from an injury suffered at the end of the 2024-25 regular season. The 24-year-old played through the injury throughout the postseason, where he averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. Williams played a pivotal role in the Thunder’s seven-game series win over the Indiana Pacers. “It was a necessary evil to win. I would’ve cut my hand off to win a championship,” Williams told ESPN. It’s not 100% clear when the Thunder forward will make his return to the floor. But Oklahoma City obviously wants their young two-way star to be fully healthy before coming back. They’ll need him in top condition for another run at a championship. “Just whenever I feel like I can be a hundred percent, then I’ll rock out. Part of the process is just figuring out how to get my jump shot back. A lot of it is just trying to get feel back.” Thunder Also Without Isaiah Joe The Oklahoma City Thunder will also be without a key bench player, with Isaiah Joe out due to a knee injury. Joe, another piece of the puzzle from the Thunder’s 2024-25 championship team, suffered a knee injury in the preseason. He is only expected to miss one game. Expect Oklahoma City’s other reserve guards, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins, to see an uptick in minutes Tuesday night. When searching for other players to step up in the absence of Williams and Joe, Sports Illustrated’s Randall Sweet named second-year guard Ajay Mitchell as a name to watch. “Ajay Mitchell isn’t listed on OKC’s injury report and should be able to give the Thunder decent minutes after an impressive summer league showing,” wrote Sweet. “Prior to his time in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas this summer, Mitchell received NBA Finals minutes as a rookie, even after missing significant time with a toe injury.” Despite being shorthanded, the Thunder remain close to seven-point favorites across most major sportsbooks.
