Justin Martinez, The OklahomanThu, November 27, 2025 at 11:20 PM UTC·1 min readJalen Williams will make his season debut when the OKC Thunder hosts the Phoenix Suns at 8:30 p.m. Friday for an NBA Cup group play game, per a report.
ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania first reported the news.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWilliams had been sidelined due to a lingering right shooting wrist injury. He underwent surgery on July 1 to repair a torn ligament and then had a follow-up procedure on Oct. 31 to remove a screw that was creating irritation during the final stages of his return to play process.
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Williams gives the reigning champion Thunder yet another weapon. The 24-year-old forward earned All-NBA third team and All-Defensive second team selections last season with career-high averages of 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
OKC is 18-1 this season, including 3-0 in NBA Cup group play. A win over Phoenix on Friday will secure its spot in the eight-team knockout round, which consists of the six group winners and one wild card team from each conference.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven if OKC loses to Phoenix, there's a good chance it'll secure the West's wild card spot since point differential in group play is the first tiebreaker. It's currently plus-71.
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder vs. Suns
TIPOFF: 8:30 p.m. Friday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City (FanDuel Sports Network)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder’s Jalen Williams will make season debut vs Suns, per report
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