Could Olivier Sarr Supplant Injured Jaylin Williams to Oklahoma City's Benefit?
Prior to Oklahoma City’s Tuesday night victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault told media that sophomore forward Jaylin Williams will miss the rest of the preseason and the beginning of the regular season due to a hamstring strain.
Daigneault says he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Thunder forward Kenrich Williams is also suffering from a hindering injury throughout the preseason, restricted by back spasms. Daigneault says he cannot provide a “firm timeline at this particular stage” concerning Williams’ return.
On top of Kenrich and Jaylin Williams’ untimely injuries, Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti just shipped off Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in a package to clear roster space and snag two future second-round picks to add to the Thunder’s stockpile of draft picks.
So, in a matter of a few days, the Thunder’s depth at forward is even more depleted than it already was. Knowing this, someone will have to assume a higher responsibility in the backup role behind emerging rookie Chet Holmgren.
And this player to embrace that role might have to be third-year Thunder Olivier Sarr.
The 7-foot center out of Kentucky has logged 30 minutes through three preseason games at this point, with Tuesday night’s contest against Milwaukee being his best performance overall. He posted seven points on 75% shooting and a 3-pointer alongside seven rebounds and three assists.
With two seasons under his belt in the league, Sarr doesn’t hold a great amount of experience. He’s competed in 31 games in his career with just three starts — nine contests last season and 22 in 2021-22 — all in Oklahoma City.
Through those 31 games with an average of 17.3 minutes per game, he was efficient, shooting 55.7% from the field on 6.1 points per game as a two-way player for the Thunder. He’s also shown a knack to defend the rim on the other side of the ball, as well as performing decently on the boards.
Despite Sarr’s lack of experience, the 24-year old has been in this position before. An injury-riddled Oklahoma City team in 2021-22 is what helped him see an NBA floor 22 times in the season, and it will see him find some playing time yet again at the start of this season.
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