Thunder just lost Jalen Williams to a fractured fibula - are their title hopes done, or can SGA carry them?
The Thunder lost Jalen Williams on Sunday against the Clippers, stretchered off with a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle in his left leg, and GM Sam Presti confirmed Monday that Williams needs surgery with no return timeline. Fellow starter Cason Wallace also needs shoulder surgery. Oklahoma City entered the season as the title favorite, but the betting markets already moved: the Thunder went from plus 238 to plus 347, and San Antonio is now the favorite at plus 290. Williams is a 17.9 point per game All-Star and the second best player on a defending champion. Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the remaining depth hold the fort, or is this season now about getting healthy for next year?
2 answers
- Hold the fort, this team has done it before
I am not writing them off. This is the defending champion, and SGA just watched his teammate go down and still has to lead the locker room. The Thunder won 108-101 the night it happened, and the crowd chanting for J-Dub tells you what this group is about. Presti said he had not given much thought to roster moves yet, which means he believes in the guys already in the building. The title path got harder, sure, but counting out a champion in October feels early to me.
- Title odds already moved, trust the market
The market moved before the press conference finished. Oklahoma City went from plus 238 to plus 347, and implied title probability fell from 29.6 percent to 22.4 percent, the biggest peak-to-trough drop of any team in the tracking data. That is a 7.2 point swing on one injury plus Wallace. SGA is great, but he cannot replace 17.9 points, All-Defensive wing play, and a second creator at the same time. Check the odds board yourself: San Antonio is the favorite now for a reason.