Oklahoma City Missing Three Players for Preseason Opener
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be without a pair of key contributors on Monday night.
Opening up their preseason slate against the Charlotte Hornets inside the Paycom Center on Monday night, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault announced forward Kenrich Williams and center Derrick Favors would both be unavailable.
Daigneault said that Favors is on Return to Play protocols, and that Williams will miss the game with a bruised toe.
Williams would have played if the game were a regular season contest, Daigneault said.
Vit Krejci will also miss the contest as he is having visa issues, Daigneault said. The Thunder are working quickly to resolve the issue, but Krejci will not be able to feature in games until the problem is resolved.
The precautionary move comes as no shock considering both players have been a little banged up to start off the 2021 training camp, but it will provide an opportunity for young pieces to step up and shine in preseason action.
Summer League standout Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will likely benefit from Favors missing the contest. The former Villanova big impressed when playing for Oklahoma City this summer in Las Vegas as his grasp of the defense made a huge difference, all while stretching the floor and proving to be a perimeter scoring threat on the other end of the court.
The 2021 second-round pick will likely see run in reserve of center Mike Muscala, who opted to return to the Thunder this offseason in free agency.
Williams’ absence will also free up minutes for Oklahoma City’s other second-round selection on Monday night, Aaron Wiggins.
The former Maryland Terrapin brought tons of energy and defensive mettle off the bench for the Thunder throughout Summer League play, and he’ll get a chance to show off his mid-range game which powered his offensive play in college.
Missing the first preseason contest of the season won’t be a big deal for either Favors or Williams, who are both NBA veterans at this point, but the extra minutes for the younger members of the Thunder roster could be beneficial for the team to start building chemistry ahead of Oct. 20’s opening night contest against the Utah Jazz.
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