RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesIt's almost August, which means we're about to enter the annual basketball drought. For the next couple of months, the NBA is in a collective vacation mode. All of the big-time offseason moves have already been made. Now, we're just waiting around until the 2026-27 season starts.
One NBA player who looks ready to jump back on the train is Jalen Williams. Exploring Europe on his offseason vacation, the All-NBA talent took to social media to express how badly he misses being on the Oklahoma City Thunder .
Williams reposted an old social media video where the OKC crowd sang along to Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' during the 2025 NBA Finals. The Thunder eventually brought home the Larry O'Brien trophy in a Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers . In the video, he captioned it with: 'I miss Paycom...'
I'm sure most of the NBA is ready to return to the daily grind of the regular-season marathon, but Williams especially. The 25-year-old essentially sacrificed his 2025-26 year for a ring. Two wrist surgeries and four hamstring strains limited him to 33 regular-season games. He then only played two playoff games in their entirety.
After sustaining another hamstring strain in OKC's Game 2 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, he only sparingly played in a Game 6 loss. The 25-year-old missed the rest of the epic series that saw the Thunder fall five wins shy of their back-to-back ambitions.
After some roster changes, the Thunder are banking on Williams to return to health. He's too important and too talented to basically miss an entire year once again. The All-NBA talent hopes to get back on track as one of the league's best players.
Jalen Williams on IG: “I miss Paycom…” pic.twitter.com/NinubRpw8U
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) July 28, 2026 This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Jalen Williams ready for 2026-27 NBA season to start: 'I miss Paycom'
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