Once the injury-induced shock and sadness begin to fade and the reality of the long road ahead commands their attention, the Oklahoma City Thunder must scratch their heads and ask: What now?

It’s a perplexing problem, as OKC tries to compensate for the very real loss of Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, perhaps for the season, however long it lasts. Those two were obviously critical players on a team with championship hopes — maybe the most qualified team to hoist the trophy next June.

In the immediate aftermath of their injuries, a dislocated ankle and broken fibula for Williams and a labrum tear for Wallace, the organization’s emotions were directed at the well-being of those players and their forthcoming surgeries and rehabilitation. Aside from being top talents, they are enormously popular in the locker room and the community.

But, as team president Sam Presti said: “The train’s gotta keep moving.”

❝People talk all the time about how OKC is one of the best places, if not the best place to play… I also think it is considered one of the best places to play, because the fans are awesome when the wind isn't at your back also. That is something I think is going to be really… pic.twitter.com/8EOSMzqQgn

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 26, 2026

Oklahoma City is in a curious situation as it weighs its next move. Do the Thunder part with Presti’s war chest of draft capital and attempt to add a quality player through a trade? Or simply go the next-man-up route on the roster, given the Thunder’s depth? Or a combination of both?

Ultimately, their decisions will dictate where the Thunder wind up in the pecking order of contenders. Until those injuries, OKC started the season impressively, with convincing wins over the Spurs and Nuggets and showing some serious 60-win vibes.

And that was mainly due to the return of Williams from his previous injuries, which all but erased last season.

This is a tough blow to one of the league’s best two-way players, if only because he and the Thunder had such high hopes for a return to All-NBA level.

Williams is in his fifth season, yet 2026-27 signaled a beginning. That season opener against the Spurs last week seemed as though it took forever.

“Amazing feeling,” is how he described it.

Williams played just 33 regular season games last season, and the pain in his gut, watching night after night from the bench, throbbed more than his repaired right wrist, and later, his hamstring. Those injuries and the subsequent rehab came back-to-back and robbed the Oklahoma City Thunder of a valued swingman and Williams of the momentum he had the previous season, which qualified as a career breakout.

He made the 2024-25 All-NBA team, his first. He ripped through the postseason and had his signature moment as a pro, a 40-point eruption in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Thunder won the championship, but it came at a cost; Williams dragged a bum wrist through that series against the Pacers that required nearly 30 painkiller injections, which was remarkable in and of itself.

He had offseason surgery, then suffered hamstring issues upon returning. He was never really himself.

“I basically didn’t play the whole year,” he said.

There was a moment in this season’s second game, the OKC home opener against the rival Nuggets, that captured all the emotions — the relief, joy and re-energy:

OKC’s Chet Holmgren made a tremendous two-handed block on a Christian Braun dunk attempt. The ball found its way to Wallace, who dribbled up court and threw a lob that Williams caught and dunked with authority.

The ENERGY on this sequence‼️ pic.twitter.com/ASxvbOsNGK

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 23, 2026

While Oklahoma City managed to do quite well without Williams in 2025-26, reaching the Western Conference Finals last spring and playing a Game 7 against the Spurs, there was the sense that, had he been healthy, a championship repeat was certainly possible.

“When you’re missing a guy like that, it impacts your ceiling as a team because of his versatility,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “He’s one of the most versatile players in the league. He plays all over the floor on offense and defense. What that does is, as a coach, it unlocks your ability to put anyone else out there with him.”

Williams is a certified 20-point scorer, which isn’t easy to do next to Shai, while often guarding the toughest opposing player. That’s why his absence, last season and now again, will be felt by the Thunder.

“Dub, as everyone knows, he’s as tough as they come,” said Presti. “He’s an elite competitor … he’s looking forward to attacking this.”

OKC likely won’t treat this as a lost year, or a gap year without Williams and Wallace. Not with Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren and a collection of rotational players — Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, Alex Caruso among them — who have adequately handled increased minutes before.

Not with Presti able to add a wing player if he does desire.

“This isn’t a common situation, but it’s our situation,” Presti said.

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