The NBA season is just underway, and we’ve already seen a number of star players go down with injuries. One of the unluckier teams has been the Oklahoma City Thunder — the No. 1 team in the West currently- with three centers on the injured list. Chet Holmgren exited last Sunday’s matchup against the Warriors after taking a hard fall. After the game, it was revealed that Holmgren had a right iliac hip fracture that would sideline him for 8-to-10 weeks. The Thunder were already thin up front. Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams have yet to make their season debuts after suffering offseason injuries.
The Thunder faced their new reality less than 24 hours after Holmgren was injured, as they took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. With the lack of size up front, head coach Mark Daigneault rolled out a starting lineup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6-foot-6), Isaiah Joe (6-foot-3), Aaron Wiggins (6-foot-5), Lu Dort (6-foot-4), and Jalen Williams (6-foot-5). Williams, the team’s usual starting shooting guard, was listed as the starting “center” in this configuration.
Daigneault’s decision paid off early. The Thunder used a 41-point second quarter to head into halftime with a 13-point lead. However, the Clippers’ frontcourt wore on the Thunder in the second half. Los Angeles got back into the game by dominating the glass, outrebounding the Thunder 47-29. 7-foot center Ivica Zubac led the way with 14 rebounds, as Oklahoma City had no one to match up with him. The tallest player to check in for the Thunder was 6-foot-9 Ousmane Dieng who played just six minutes. The three Thunder reserves who saw the most playing time — Alex Caruso (20 minutes), Cason Wallace (20), and Ajay Mitchell (11) — were all under 6-foot-6.
Losing the rebound battle is a familiar scenario for this Thunder team. They don’t win on the glass even when Holmgren is healthy. The Thunder get by defensively by being one of the best teams in the league at forcing turnovers. And, they did so against the Clippers. Los Angeles recorded 23 turnovers to 31 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander set a new season-high with 5 steals, but he wasn’t done there. The perennial MVP candidate recorded a career-high of 45 points on Monday. And, the Thunder needed every last one of those baskets as they etched out a 134-128 victory. Gilgeous-Alexander filled up the stat sheet. Along with the points and steals, he added 9 assists, 2 blocks, made 15-of-16 free-throw attempts, and had just one turnover. It was his best game of the year, and they’ll need more like it if they want to keep winning while short-handed.
With no center on the roster, could a trade be in the works? It seems unlikely given the timeline of their current injuries. The Thunder expect some reinforcements here soon. Hartenstein is on track to return in the next 1-to-2 weeks. Williams is about 2-to-3 weeks away. Don’t expect to see Holmgren back until at least mid-January. Acquiring someone who may only be serviceable for a few weeks seems like a short-sighted move. And, it’s unlikely they find a big available on the trade market that is even slightly better than a player like Williams who is their third-string center.
Daigneault will continue to tinker with lineups in the meantime. OKC’s next matchup is against a team even more riddled with injuries than them — the New Orleans Pelicans. After that, they’ll face off against a string of teams with a physical inside presence — Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic, Dallas’ duo of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, Portland’s Deandre Ayton, and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis. They hope to have Hartenstein back by the time they take on the Warriors (the league’s No. 1 rebounding team) again and the Anthony Davis-led Lakers.
We’ll keep a close eye on the small-ball Thunder. They have many players who are comfortable playing against taller opponents and can take advantage of mismatches on the other end. However, even a slight drop-off could send them tumbling down the crowded Western Conference standings.
