Jalen Williams wasn’t even on the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s brutal second-round sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, but he definitely had the best seat in the house. Sidelined with his fourth hamstring strain in five months, Williams got to enjoy every single minute of Ajay Mitchell’s playoff breakout, a breakout that didn’t just shut the door on the Lakers, it slammed it in their face with a four-game sweep.
Ajay Mitchell’s Unbelievable Playoff Moment
Talk about stepping up when it counts! With Williams out, the Thunder needed someone beyond Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s usual 30-point superstar numbers to fill the void. Enter Ajay Mitchell. This dude went from a two-way rookie to a household name in just two years, and he delivered the playoff series of his life against the Lakers. He was dropping 22.5 points on a scorching 56.3% shooting, dishing out six assists, and grabbing three boards in those four games. But wait, there’s more! He completely locked up Austin Reaves, who had his absolute worst career postseason series with 20.8 points on a dismal 42.6% shooting and 5.5 turnovers. Mitchell sealed the deal in Game 4 with an efficient 28 points, and now he gets to boast for the rest of his career that he closed the book on LeBron James’ illustrious Lakers era.
Jalen Williams Enjoyed the Lakers’ Humiliation
You know Williams was just soaking it all in. He basically became an OKC fan, chilling and scrolling through postgame social media like the rest of us. He even said on ‘The Old Man and the Three’ podcast with Mitchell, “I don’t want to say I was happy to be out. But that was a fun series to be out for. Because every time you had a good game, I would go straight to Twitter.” Can you imagine? Lakers fans, with their massive fanbase rivaling entire countries, got absolutely dismantled and humiliated. Seeing their season end at the hands of OKC’s Sixth Man had to be brutal. And let’s not forget the false hope of Luka Doncic’s ‘miraculous return’ that never happened; the MVP candidate was sidelined from a severe season-ending hamstring strain back in April 2026. Yeah, that was ‘fun’ to watch, too.
While enjoying the troll game is one thing, you know Williams, the Thunder, and Mitchell would trade it all for his health. His continued hamstring issues are a serious concern. Williams’ health is absolutely OKC’s ultimate X-factor for their 2026-27 NBA title hopes. If they want to go all the way, they need him on the court.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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