Mounting Injuries Not a Cause for Concern in OKC

Injuries are hardly ever a good thing.

For Oklahoma City, the franchise has gotten to see first hand how injuries can impact a team.

Injuries began to strike before the All Star Break, most notably with Shai Gilgoeus-Alexander injuring his ankle. While Gilgeous-Alexander has since rejoined the team and has been dominating, other key pieces have been out for extended periods of time, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.

It’s no secret the Thunder want the best draft pick they can get this year, which means the more losses the better. While the injuries are difficult to deal with because of the roster messes they create, the Thunder continue to improve their backward standings rank as other struggling teams win more games.

Since the All Star break three Thunder players have undergone season-ending injuries.

On Tuesday, Lu Dort, Mike Muscala and Ty Jerome all had successful surgeries, which will sideline them until next season. Dort’s absence due to a torn labrum is the most consequential of the three with his role in the organization.

With those three injuries, along with a host of others including rookies Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Josh Giddey, any success the Thunder were having has slowed. Derrick Favors and Kenrich Williams are also out for an extended period of time as the Thunder have seven key pieces listed as out.

Tre Mann is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury to add to that number.

However, it’s somewhat positive because while the Thunder lose, it propels them closer to the goal of drafting an franchise-altering piece in the 2022 NBA Draft. OKC is now 14th in the West, 3.5 games ahead of Houston for last in the conference. The Thunder’s first round pick would have the fourth best lottery odds if the season ended this week.

While the injuries continue to plague OKC and any momentum they seem to find is instantly halted, Detroit and other teams ahead of OKC keep winning. The Pistons and Magic are the two worst teams in the NBA, but have made the race for the best odds even tighter with recent success. The Pistons are 6-4 in their last 10 games and the Magic are 5-5 in their last 10.

Injuries aren’t normally found to be helpful for a team's success, the Thunder are actually closer to their goal because of them.

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