OKC THUNDER
Jalen Williams making progress in offseason workouts with NBA trainer
Clemente AlmanzaOKC Thunder Wire
Aug. 6, 2026, 3:01 p.m. CT
In the first week of August, we’re at the part of the NBA year-round calendar where guys make the most strides. Not much is happening over these next couple of months. Most of the offseason moves are done. Now, teams across the league await the 2026-27 season
It’s a big summer for Jalen Williams. You can toss last year in the bin for him. The 25-year-old only played in 33 regular-season games and just two entire NBA playoff games. Two wrist surgeries and four hamstring strains absolutely tanked his season. Alas, he made those sacrifices for a championship ring
Now, though, Williams has to have a bounce-back year. The Oklahoma City Thunder said goodbye to a handful of role players this summer. And they did so confidently. Feeling the All-NBA talent will return to playing at his peak level
One of the ways Williams is doing that? Spending time with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s infamous trainer — Nem Ilic. All three have linked up this summer, per social media posts. After an injury-riddled year, perhaps he’s trying out new avenues to return to being an NBA Iron Man. It’s pretty alarming that he had four hamstring strains in five months. Even with the tricky history of soft-tissue injuries, that’s still a crazy amount in such a short window
Ilic posted updates on social media on Williams’ progress. From what he’s describing, sounds like everything is going to plan. He’s grown notoriety for Gilgeous-Alexander’s ascension into a two-time MVP winner. Working with him over the years, he’s helped the walking 30-point machine reach his heights as a basketball pantheon
“Significant changes created over the last 3 weeks,” Ilic wrote about Williams. “A decompressed spine gives the rest of the body more freedom to do what it needs to do. Daily inputs.”
We’ll see if Ilic’s offseason workout approach boosts Williams’ durability. The Thunder badly need him to return to his skyrocket ascension and hope last year was just a blip. The last time he was healthy, he was a first-time All-NBA, All-Star and All-Defense member. Along with getting Gen Z Scottie Pippen comparisons during the 2025 NBA Finals
“Hips and pelvis moving better = more optimal position for the muscles in the leg to function as intended,” Ilic wrote about Williams. “Daily decompression.”
