Dr. Brian Sutterer believes Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams may have suffered a serious ankle fracture-dislocation after the guard was stretchered off during Sunday’s 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, warning that the injury could sideline him for months.
In a video breaking down the incident, the sports medicine doctor said the mechanism of the injury raised concerns about damage to Williams’ left ankle. However, the diagnosis and severity have not been confirmed by the Thunder.
“The long and short of this is I’m concerned about an ankle fracture dislocation,” Sutterer said. “Based on the mechanism of what we’re seeing here, the most likely scenario would be an ankle dislocation plus or minus a fracture.”
Williams went down with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter and was taken off the court on a stretcher, with towels covering his left leg. Sutterer explained that the way Williams’ foot appeared to be positioned when he landed suggested a potentially severe injury.
As he analyzed the play, Sutterer described how the foot could become trapped while the body’s weight forces the ankle into an abnormal position. That movement can place significant stress on the ligaments and bones around the joint.
“When you combine that with this forced load of landing on the outside, either another player or you landing on yourself, that is going to cause this excessive amount of external rotation and eversion,” he explained.
Sutterer said the resulting damage could involve the deltoid ligament on the inner side of the ankle and the syndesmosis, the connection between the tibia and fibula. Depending on the force involved, fractures and dislocation may also occur.
The doctor stressed that further medical evaluation would be needed to determine exactly what Williams suffered. He noted that ankle dislocations can occur without fractures, although fractures are commonly associated with these injuries.
Sutterer also warned that the potential recovery period could be significant.
“The majority of these injuries, regardless of what exact situation that is in terms of dislocation, fracture, are going to be extensive multi-month absences,” he said, adding that some cases could result in a season-ending absence.
He compared the potential severity to the injury Gordon Hayward suffered in 2017, while emphasizing that Williams’ precise diagnosis remains unknown.
“Think of this as a severe case of a high ankle sprain type of injury, multiple month sort of an absence,” Sutterer said.
Williams’ injury overshadowed Oklahoma City’s third consecutive victory to open the season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, while Ajay Mitchell added 18 off the bench. The Thunder also lost Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams to injuries earlier in the game.
Oklahoma City is scheduled to host the Phoenix Suns on Monday. No official diagnosis or timetable for Jalen Williams’ return was included in the information available after Sunday’s game.
