OKC Thunder Big Man Key Following Rookie Injury

The Oklahoma City Thunder are gearing up for the 2025-26 season that marks a historic campaign. For the first time in franchise history, the Thunder have a massive target on its back as defending champions.

Oklahoma City is looking to disrupt the parity era that has fallen on the NBA for the first time in league history. The past seven NBA Champions have failed to even get out of the second round.

This offseason has been a whirlwind for the Oklahoma City Thunder. After eliminating the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the last week of June, the summer work began. The Thunder completed the 2025 NBA Draft by selecting Thomas Sorber at No. 15 and Brooks Barnhizer at No. 44 before executing a trade of Dillon Jones to Washington to free up a roster spot for Sorber.

From there, Sam Presti got to work on extensions, re-upping with superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-NBA forward Jalen Williams, Rising Star Chet Holmgren and key reserves Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell.

On Friday, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced another piece of offseason news. Ahead of his rookie season, Sorber has suffered a torn ACL that will keep him out of the entire 2025-26 campaign.

After the rookie saw his freshman campaign cut short due to a turf toe injury, he was sidelined from NBA Summer League before working back to get on the floor ahead of training camp but suffered this injury on Thursday of this week.

While this injury doesn't change the path for Oklahoma City to contend for another championship this season, but it does shuffle the rotation for Mark Daigneault.

No, Sorber would not have been a featured player on the deepest and most talented team in the NBA, but Daigneault has done a wondeful job sprinkling in developmental minutes for youngsters while putting together winning seasons en route to two straight No. 1 seeds eyeing a third.

Though, the Arkansas big man will be able to soak up all of those minutes and then some after an impressive second round series that Williams put together against the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic.

On top of Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams in the center rotation, Daigneault often looks for ways to go small as the small ball lineup will not completely disappear. Oklahoma City also expended a two-way spot on Branden Carlson who filled in admirably a year ago when the Bricktown ballers were bit by the injury bug.