BOSTON — As he works his method into form following a hamstring injury that brought on him to overlook the previous two months, Oklahoma City Thunder ahead Jalen Williams acknowledged the bodily and psychological hurdle that accompanies every recreation again.
“Anybody that’s had a hamstring injury, it’s never during, it’s usually after [the game],” Williams advised ESPN Wednesday morning earlier than the Thunder performed the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. “Tonight, will be another test. Obviously, I played two games before and then I got hurt [again]. These next games are more the test.”
He handed the check simply by the shortage of limp in his gait through the postgame information convention, even after his modest seven factors, three rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes of taking part in time in the Thunder’s 119-109 loss that was billed as a doable NBA Finals preview.
Williams had returned from a proper hamstring injury in extra spectacular style final month however lasted solely two video games earlier than pulling it once more. He missed 10 video games earlier than the aggravation, then the following 16 after his temporary look.
“It’s an eerie feeling,” Williams advised ESPN. “When you pull it, it’s such a new feeling, the movements you do when you’re ramping back up is scary. But now I have confidence, working out, I don’t think about it when I’m playing.”
The Thunder are being cautious with Williams’ return, understanding one other hamstring pull might finish his season and significantly derail their probabilities to repeat as NBA champions.
He played 20 minutes Monday towards the Philadelphia 76ers. On Wednesday, Williams was on the 21-minute mark earlier than Thunder coach Mark Daigneault reinserted him with just a little underneath three minutes remaining.
“We’re still managing the minutes. We’re soft on that, it’s not a hard cap,” Daigneault mentioned. “We’re definitely not looking at 30-minute nights yet.”
Williams and Celtics ahead Jayson Tatum have been at instances matched up towards one another Wednesday. Neither performed in the final Celtics-Thunder recreation two weeks in the past in Oklahoma City, and each can relate to coming again from severe accidents. They commiserated after the sport, bonded by rehab.
“It’s good to see, somebody of that caliber — you want to see them on the floor. It’s dope that he gets to do that. He looked very good,” Williams mentioned. “I was talking to him a bit, it’s hard, there’s no flow. I’ve never checked into a game and I’m not sweating at all. Figuring it out is a learning curve.”
Tatum was taking part in his tenth recreation following Achilles surgical procedure final May and had a bounce-back recreation of types with 19 factors, 12 rebounds and 7 assists.
Williams missed the Thunder’s first 20 video games following offseason wrist surgical procedure, then had his hamstring illnesses pop up six weeks after getting again to the ground.
“Our minute restrictions are different,” Williams mentioned. “I don’t even know what their restriction is [for Tatum], but a lot of players tell you, when you’re used to playing 35 minutes and you take 10 away from that or 12 away, your game gets a little more choppy.”
Williams mentioned his targets are extra minute, even because the Thunder battle the San Antonio Spurs for house court docket all through the Western Conference playoffs. The Thunder sit two video games in entrance of the charging Spurs with 9 video games remaining, and the Spurs maintain the tiebreaker.
“When you have the same injury twice, it’s a mental obstacle, getting back to doing moves as explosive as you want,” Williams mentioned. “Definitely not an excuse, just something gets [overlooked] but it comes from being on a good team. You don’t want to mess up the flow of the game. It’s moving pieces in the last 10 games of the season.”
