OKC Thunder's Thomas Sorber Slated for Unique Rookie Season in 2026-27

After winning an NBA title in 2025, the Oklahoma City Thunder were in a strong position heading into the offseason.

Despite winning 68 games, OKC held the No. 15 overall pick in the 2025 draft, which the team used to select Thomas Sorber.

Alongside Sorber, the Thunder were also slated to get 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic back on the floor after the former No. 12 overall selection missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL.

Oklahoma City didn't get to see much from either player in 2025-26, though, as Sorber tore his ACL in an offseason workout and Topic was diagnosed with cancer. Topic recovered, and eventually got onto the court for OKC, but has played just 10 NBA games and 160 total minutes in two seasons since being drafted.

Sorber hasn't appeared in an NBA game yet, but is set to play his rookie season for the Thunder in 2026-27.

Sorber and Topic aren't the first players in OKC's recent history to follow this path.

All-NBA big man Chet Holmgren missed the entire 2022-23 season after being selected No. 2 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, but has been a solid piece for Oklahoma City since his return to the floor.

Sorber is the only first-round pick from the 2025 NBA Draft, and one of only four picks in both rounds of last year's class, to play zero NBA minutes during the 2025-26 campaign. The other three players from the 2025 class who didn't appear in an NBA game as rookies are international prospects.

Despite not seeing any action, Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti recently praised the former Georgetown big man.

"Thomas (Sorber), he's really impressed me," Presti said in his end-of-season media availability. "We have some experience with some of our younger guys not being able to play in games their rookie year, and he just dove into his rehab. His work capacity has impressed me. Obviously all the reasons we drafted him, just great ability to pass, he's physical, and I think his body's gotten better through this year."

Presti also noted that Sorber likely won't be play in this year's Summer League.

Still, the 20-year-old could have an impact for OKC as a rotation piece during his rookie season in 2026-27. The Thunder's frontcourt rotation in 2025-26 consisted of Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, and Sorber will add another option to the mix for Oklahoma City.

At the 2025 NBA Combine, Sorber measured 6-foot-9-and-a-quarter without shoes and recorded a 7-foot-6 wingspan.

Sorber averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 53.2% from the field and 16.2% from 3-point range as a freshman at Georgetown.

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