The Thunder won four of five 2024 preseason contests, all four of which finished within regulation, but that success was overshadowed by recent injury news. Isaiah Hartenstein will be sidelined for at least the next five to six weeks with a non-displaced hand fracture.
Frontcourt depth was already a big issue for the team, as Jaylin Williams’ hamstring strain and Kenrich Williams’ mid-September knee surgery meant the team did not experience any preseason activity. . Jaylen Williams is day-to-day after twisting his ankle in Oklahoma City’s final preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. Even rookie guard Nikola Topic will miss the entire season recovering from ACL surgery.
These injuries right before the regular season represent a dramatic change from the 2023-24 season. The Thunder’s total of 61 games missed due to injury, 133 total days missed due to injury, and $8,771,534 lost due to player injuries were all worst in the league, reflecting their overall health.
The Thunder have had good injury luck throughout their roster, but they couldn’t have won 57 games without their top players. LeBron’s wins over his replacements meant Oklahoma City’s three best players from last year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, missed a combined 18 games.
player
games played
time per game
Missed Thunder Record in game
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
75
34.0
2-5
jaylen williams
71
31.3
6-5
Chet Holmgren
82
29.4
Not applicable
Luguentz Dort
79
28.4
3-0
Cason Wallace
82
20.6
Not applicable
Isiah Joe
78
18.5
3-1
aaron wiggins
78
15.7
2-2
kenrich williams
69
14.9
8-5
Jaylin Williams
69
13.0
9-4
Usman Dieng
33
11.1
36-13
Oklahoma City, without Most Valuable Player runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, won only two of seven games and lost by a total of 33 points. The Thunder scored 11 more points per 100 possessions last year with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor, and his lack of missed games helped them achieve the best record in the Western Conference.
This trend doesn’t just apply to the Thunder. Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jalen Brunson, who finished in the top five in last season’s MVP voting, had a combined record of 195 wins and 104 losses (65.2% winning percentage), but the team had 11 wins and 18 losses (37.9 winning percentage). %). ) when you didn’t play. The Philadelphia 76ers were 31-8 (79.5% winning percentage) with reigning MVP Joel Embiid, but only 16-27 (37.2% winning percentage) without him.
The Thunder went 1-3 in four straight games in early April without Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylen Williams, including a 35-point loss to the eventual champion Celtics in Boston.
Oklahoma City’s preseason ended due to unforeseen injuries, but their goals for the 2024-25 season depend most on Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylen Williams and Holmgren staying healthy, and that’s the case for now.
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