Before the Season, Injuries are Starting to Pile Up for the OKC Thunder

Health wasn't always on Oklahoma City's side during the 2024-25 campaign.

The team dealt with injuries to Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams and others during the regular season, and Jalen Williams suffered a wrist injury heading into the postseason.

Despite those setbacks, the Thunder still managed to dominate the regular season and win the franchise's first NBA title. Fortunatly for OKC, the team was mostly healthy in the playoffs, but heading into the 2025-26 campaign, the group is once again dealing with multiple injuries.

First round pick and promising big man Thomas Sorber suffered a torn ACL and will miss all of the upcoming season after being selected No. 15 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. Sorber likely wouldn't have been one of OKC's primary big men as a rookie, but could have still factored into the rotation.

Now, the Thunder will have to wait another season to gage weather or not Sorber is talented enough to replace Hartenstein once the veteran's contract becomes too expensive for Oklahoma City.

Veteran forward Kenrich Williams also sustained a knee injury. Williams will be re-evaluated in 6 to 8 weeks according to a press release from the Thunder in late September. Williams should be the piece of OKC's lineup that the group misses most.

A solid defender and 3-point shooter, Williams' toughness and leadership is valuable for the Thunder. Williams is the only member of the injured trio who has spent time on court in Oklahoma City, but the 30-year-old plays sparingly throughout the regular season.

Most recently, Oklahoma City revealed that Nikola Topic will miss 4 to 6 weeks after undergoing a testicular procedure. Topic's role in the Thunder's lineup was uncertain, as the former lottery pick offers a unique skill set, but still needs vast improvement in specific aspects of his game.

Alongside the aforementioned injuries, Jalen Williams is still returning from his offseason wrist surgery, which shouldn't hold the All-NBA wing out of the lineup, but could slow his start to the year.

While three injuries at one time would be difficult for most teams to handle, OKC has enough depth to survive without the trio of players who are currently sidelined with injuries, especially early on. Sorber, Kenrich Williams and Topic aren't key pieces of the Thunder's lineup, and shouldn't be too much of an obstacle for Mark Daigneault's team.

Without Williams, Sorber or Topic, OKC will look for contributions from other pieces like Ajay Mitchell, Ousmane Dieng and potentially even two-way players like Brooks Barnhizer to begin the season.

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