After the Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoke about what Jalen Williams’ absence meant during the run—calling him a “unicorn” and a major loss. Williams, meanw
When the San Antonio Spurs ended the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t talk around the loss.
He went straight to the gap Jalen Williams left behind.
Williams missed most of the 2025-26 campaign. surviving in only one full game of the Thunder’s seven-game series because of a recurring left hamstring injury. In Thunder exit interviews on Sunday. Gilgeous-Alexander described what that absence meant as the defending champions pushed deep into the playoffs—and why the result felt like more than just a rough break.
“Not having Dub for the whole year, basically, sucked. He’s just such a unicorn out there,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s a 20-point per game scorer, guards 1 through 5. Last season. he got All-NBA for offense. All-NBA for defense. and was an All-Star all in the same season at maybe 24-year-old. Losing a guy like that just hurts. He’s just uber-talented. Having that Swiss Army Knife 24/7 is a luxury. We just didn’t have that luxury this time. And sometimes it just goes like that.”.
On the court, the defensive plan from San Antonio landed. With Williams out. the Spurs put defensive clamps on All-Star Chet Holmgren. forcing the rest of the Thunder starters to pick up the slack. Gilgeous-Alexander still finished with 35 points in the Game 7 loss. but it wasn’t enough against an offense that spread the scoring—seven Spurs players reached double figures.
Cason Wallace added 17 points for Oklahoma City, and Gilgeous-Alexander and Wallace were the only Thunder starters to score in double figures.
For San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama led the way with 22 points. Julian Champagnie also finished with 22, while point guard Stephon Castle scored 16.
The series didn’t just end the Thunder season—it left them with a painful, specific “what if.”
Jalen Williams. speaking during his own exit interview on Sunday. said his absence may have been the difference between Oklahoma City watching San Antonio advance to the NBA Finals and watching themselves defend their title against the Knicks. Instead. the Thunder will head into the offseason with questions about whether changes are coming to a roster that can overmatch the Spurs.
“I don’t do the hypothetical thing too much because it does not solve anything that’s going on right now. But to humor your question, obviously, I think I could have made an impact,” Williams said. “I think we could have won if I played. Went to 7 with them without me playing. I don’t think I make us worse. That’s really my answer to that. It’s also hats off to them. What do you want them to do about me being hurt?“.
“They still have to go out there and try, and beat us. That’s what it is, and they did that. All you can do is tip your hat. wish them the best of luck going on. even though I don’t want to. and go from there. But they’re a good team. It would have been a challenge if I played or not. but I definitely think I could have changed the series. But we’ll just have to wait until we meet again at this point.”.
Now that the season has ended, Williams’ focus shifts fully to his health. He will work on making a full recovery from his nagging injuries ahead of the 2026-27 season.
With the Thunder eliminated and the Spurs proving they could beat the defending champions more than anyone. the offseason questions will likely start and end with the same name: the teammate Gilgeous-Alexander called a “unicorn”—and the player Williams believes could have altered the final chapter of the series.
Oklahoma City Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Jalen Williams San Antonio Spurs Game 7 Western Conference Finals left hamstring injury Chet Holmgren Cason Wallace Victor Wembanyama Julian Champagnie Stephon Castle Knicks NBA Finals All-NBA offense All-NBA defense All-Star