OKC Thunder GM Gives Update on Injured 2025 First Round Pick

Less than a week after claiming the franchise's first NBA title, the Oklahoma City Thunder held the No. 15 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

With the selection, general manager Sam Presti and company elected to draft Georgetown big man Thomas Sorber.

Sorber appeared to be an ideal fit in OKC with impressive length, notable defensive prowess and solid passing ability. After suffering a foot injury during his freshman season with the Hoyas, however, Sorber was unable to compete for the Thunder during the NBA Summer League.

The 19-year-old was supposed to be ready for the start of the regular season, but in early September, Oklahoma City announced that Sorber had suffered a torn ACL and would be forced to miss the entire 2025-26 season.

The news that Sorber will be sidelined for the upcoming campaign was of course disappointing to many obsevers who were intriuinged to see what he brought to Oklahoma City. With a strong roster that is fresh off a title, though, the Thunder will likely be able to survive without Sorber this season.

For Sorber, however, impressing OKC early on is crucial for the rookie big man's hopes of earning a significant spot in the Thunder's rotation. The team will have to make a decision on weather or not to renew Isaiah Hartenstein's contract, and could lean towards bringing the veteran back after not having the opportunity to see Sorber in a game setting.

While that decision is still to come, the Thunder currently appear satisfied with how the recent top 15 pick has handled the injury.

"He spent the whole summer getting himself back, and was playing great (before the ACL injury)," Presti said Thursday. "(He) was playing 5-on-5, was anxiously waiting for the rest of the team to show up. ... He’s got great energy, natural energy, buoyancy. That’s going to really help him through this."

Sam Presti on Thomas Sorber: “He spent the whole summer getting himself back, and was playing great, was playing 5-on-5, was anxiously waiting for the rest of the team to show up.

"He’s got great energy, natural energy, buoyancy. That’s going to really help him through this."
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) September 25, 2025

While tearing an ACL is never ideal, there are indicators that Sorber could still return and be a productive piece of the Thunder's rotation next season. Chet Holmgren missed all of the 2022-23 season with an injury before and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2024.

Nikola Topic, a lottery pick in the 2024 class, tore his ACL prior to the draft and spent the 2024-25 season rehabbing with Oklahoma City. Now, the Serbian guard has the potential to earn solid minutes off the bench for Mark Daigneault.

While Sorber's size at 6-foot-9 and more than 250 pounds could make the recovery process more difficult, OKC's staff seems confident that the young big man can bounce back from his injury.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.