Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder star forward, managed a severe wrist injury throughout the playoffs by taking nearly 30 painkilling injections. His wrist had been sprained and worsened when the ligament tore while competing against Devin Booker. The Thunder's training staff employed intricate taping techniques to support his wrist. Williams noted that despite shooting slumps and challenges, including a difficult series against the Denver Nuggets, he drew inspiration from Kobe Bryant's ability to play through injury, which drove his determination to succeed with the team.
"I got 28 or 29 shots in my hand throughout the playoffs, and I was like 'that can't be for nothing, we have to win.' So that was my mentality."
"I had to change my jump shot form to keep the ball more on my fingertips so I didn't have to rely on my wrist as much."
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