BOSTON – As he works his way back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the past two months, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams acknowledged the physical and mental struggles that come with each game back.
“Anyone who has injured a muscle, it has never happened, it usually follows [the game],” Williams told ESPN Wednesday morning before the Thunder played the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. “Today, it’s going to be another test. Obviously I played two games before and got injured [again]. These next games are a test.”
He passed the test just because he couldn’t walk properly during the postgame news conference, even after his seven points, three rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes of play in a 119-109 loss to the Thunder that was paid to preview the NBA Finals.
Williams made a spectacular comeback from a right hamstring injury last month but only played two games before re-trenching it. He missed 10 games before being promoted, and the next 16 after his brief appearance.
“It’s a scary feeling,” Williams told ESPN. “When you pull it, it’s a new feeling, the movement you make when you step back is scary. But now I have confidence, I work, I don’t think about it when I play.”
The Thunder are wary of Williams’ return, knowing that another strain could end his season and severely hamper their chances of repeating as NBA champions.
He played 20 minutes on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers. On Wednesday, Williams was 21 minutes into the game before Thunder coach Mark Daigneault brought him back with less than three minutes remaining.
“We still have minutes. We’re soft on that, it’s not a hard cap,” Daigneault said. “We certainly haven’t watched a 30-minute night yet.”
Williams and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum were sometimes compared on Wednesday. He didn’t play in the last Celtics-Thunder game two weeks ago in Oklahoma City, and both are unrelated to returning from serious injuries. They are happy after the game, bound for rehab.
“It’s good to see, someone like that — you want to see them down. It’s sad that he did that. He looked so good,” Williams said. “I’ve been talking to him a little bit, it’s hard, there’s no flow. I’ve never tested the game and I’m not sweating at all. Testing it is a learning curve.”
Tatum was playing in his 10th game following Achilles surgery last May and had a back-to-back game with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
Williams missed the Thunder’s first 20 games following offseason wrist surgery, then suffered a hamstring injury six weeks after returning to the floor.
“Our minute limits are different,” Williams said. “I don’t even know what their limits are [for Tatum]but a lot of players tell you, if you’re used to playing 35 minutes and you take 10 or 12 out of there, your game gets choppier.”
Williams said his goals are very narrow, as the Thunder battle the San Antonio Spurs at home in every game of the Western Conference playoffs. The Thunder sit two games ahead of the charging Spurs with nine games remaining, while the Spurs hold the tiebreaker.
“When you’re injured twice, it becomes a hindrance mentally, you go back to doing the movement the way you like,” said Williams. “It’s definitely not an excuse, you just get something [overlooked] but it comes from being in a good team. You don’t want to spoil the flow of the game. It shakes up the last 10 games of the season.”
