2 Surgeries for OKC: Jalen Williams Has a Dislocated Ankle and Fractured Fibula, and Cason Wallace a Torn Labrum
Thunder president Sam Presti said both need surgery and are out indefinitely. Wallace was available for most of the 39-10 run without Williams last season.
Photo: NBA.com. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder forward.
Jalen Williams has a dislocated left ankle and a fractured fibula, and Cason Wallace has a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Thunder president Sam Presti announced Monday that both need surgery and are out indefinitely. ESPN's Shams Charania reported both will be sidelined for several months, "most, if not the entire season." Presti said a timeline for Williams comes after surgery.
Both got hurt in Sunday's 108-101 win over the Clippers, the game that put Oklahoma City at 3-0. Williams went down with 1:14 left and left on a stretcher. Wallace was hurt earlier in the night.
By our count from ESPN's schedule and game log, the Thunder went 39-10 in the 49 games Williams missed in 2025-26, as The Dyme laid out Sunday.
Who covered the 39-10
Wallace played 77 games last season and started 58, per Basketball-Reference. He missed five games at most, so by our count he was available for at least 44 of the 49 games Williams sat. He averaged 26.6 minutes over the full season and had 150 steals, per StatMuse. He made the All-Defensive second team and finished seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
The Thunder traded Lu Dort to Atlanta on July 19, and Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe went to Atlanta and Detroit in deals made official July 6. All three were on last season's roster. Wallace was the one kept, and eight days ago he agreed to a five-year, $139 million extension that starts in 2027-28, per Shams.
Minutes lost
Through three games Williams had played 95 minutes, second on the team behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 107. Wallace had 49. By our count that is 144 minutes, 48 a night, or one-fifth of the 240 available, gone to two surgeries.
Williams had 41 points on 15-of-39 shooting with 10 assists through three games, against 83 points for Gilgeous-Alexander.
Who's next on the depth chart
Ajay Mitchell scored 18 on Sunday and has 34 points and 10 assists in 74 minutes this season.
Alex Caruso is plus-51 for the season, by our count from the box scores. Jared McCain has 27 points in 61 minutes.
In Game 7 of last season's West finals on May 30, Williams and Mitchell were out. Wallace scored 17 next to Gilgeous-Alexander's 35, and San Antonio won the game and the series.
Timelines
Williams's injury is a dislocation plus a fracture with surgery to follow, and the team won't put a number on it until after the operation. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported Wallace is looking at a five-to-six-month recovery. Presti did not give one.
Oklahoma City is still 3-0 with Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder host Phoenix on Monday night with Williams and Wallace ruled out, along with Chet Holmgren (right patellar tendinitis), per the NBA injury report as relayed by The Oklahoman.
Sources
- Shams Charania on X: Williams dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula, Wallace torn labrum in left shoulder, both to undergo surgery, sidelined for several months, "most, if not the entire season". Oct. 26, 2026.
- Marc Stein on X: Sam Presti announces both need surgery and are out indefinitely. Oct. 26, 2026.
- Brett Siegel on X: no recovery timeline for Williams until after surgery, per Presti; Wallace looking at 5-6 months. Oct. 26, 2026.
- AP: Thunder lose Jalen Williams to serious lower leg injury. Oct. 25, 2026. 1:14 left, stretcher, next game vs. Phoenix.
- AP recap via ESPN: Thunder stay undefeated with a 108-101 victory over the Clippers. Oct. 25, 2026. Box score and the injury note on Wallace.
- ESPN: Jalen Williams game log and ESPN: Thunder 2025-26 schedule and results. Used for our 39-10 count and the three-game minute and scoring totals.
- ESPN box scores: Thunder at Spurs, Oct. 20 and Nuggets at Thunder, Oct. 22. Minutes, points, assists and plus-minus.
- Hoops Rumors: Jalen Williams stretchered off court after suffering apparent leg injury. Oct. 25, 2026. 33 regular-season games last season.
- Basketball-Reference: Cason Wallace. 2025-26: 77 games, 58 starts, 26.6 minutes.
- NBA Communications: 2025-26 award voting results. Wallace seventh in DPOY voting, All-Defensive second team.
- The Oklahoman: Jalen Williams injury updates. Oct. 26, 2026. Monday injury report: Williams, Wallace, Holmgren out vs. Phoenix.
- The Dyme: Thunder without Jalen Williams went 39-10 last season. Oct. 25, 2026.
- StatMuse: Most steals in the NBA, 2025-26. Wallace 150.
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Holmgren and Wallace named to 2025-26 All-Defensive Team. May 22, 2026.
- Hoops Rumors: Cason Wallace, Thunder agree to five-year, $139MM extension. Oct. 18, 2026.
- Hoops Rumors: Dort to Hawks, Risacher to Mavericks in three-team trade and NBA.com: 2026 Offseason Trade Tracker. Dort July 19; Wiggins and Joe July 6.
- NBA.com: Spurs hold off Thunder, advance to NBA Finals. May 30, 2026. Wallace 17, Gilgeous-Alexander 35, Williams and Mitchell out.
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