It's only taken five games for things to completely unravel for the Oklahoma City Thunder. After losing Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for most — if not all — of the 2026-27 season, Chet Holmgren also joined them on the sidelines indefinitely.
The Thunder announced on Friday that Holmgren has a small patellar tendon tear. He underwent a biological treatment to address the injury. He first experienced knee discomfort in OKC's franchise-altering win over the LA Clippers. The All-NBA talent is expected to miss 8-to-10 weeks.
Now, the Thunder enter their new NBA reality. Holmgren, Williams and Wallace are all out for two-plus months. The latter two for possibly the remainder of the season. How does OKC move on from here?
Let's look at four Thunder
players who could help make up for Holmgren's absence. And his absence specifically:
Aday Mara
The Thunder will need to break glass. Mara will get fed as many minutes as he can handle. We're about to see just how much his new-and-improved conditioning can take on. The 21-year-old has been a pleasant surprise so far. He's held his own in small spurts. But the 7-foot-3 giant has to now be a winning player. That's asking a lot for a guy who's still learning the NBA world.
Suddenly, the Thunder will rely on Mara to be their backup center. He'll be asked to play in their second-unit minutes. Maybe he can make up for some of Holmgren's top-two rim protection. On offense, he'll forever remain a lob threat because of his size. If OKC hopes to stay in the playoff picture, it needs its rookies to help right now.
Thomas Sorber
Sorber's public opinion has never been lower. As the Thunder are completely depleted, the fanbase's patience has worn thin. It's been a year and a half. When is the 21-year-old going to suit up? Reading the tea leaves, I think it should happen soonish. He's participated in pregame warmups all season. He had his second knee surgery four months ago. He's surely knocking on the door to make his NBA debut.
Once Sorber is medically cleared, I think the Thunder should probably expedite his return. Which means no G League assignment. That luxury is gone. You need NBA bodies. And he's one of them. He can learn on the job as OKC navigates its new grim reality. Let's see what exactly he's made of.
Jaylin Williams
Over the years, Williams has been one of OKC's most reliable bench players. He can scale up or down seamlessly. Now, the Thunder are going to all in on him. He needs to play better, though. Lost in all of the injury hoopla has been his slow start. He's averaged a measly 2.8 points on 22.2% shooting and 4.2 rebounds this season.
The Thunder will feed Williams all of the minutes that he can handle. Some nights, he'll start. Others, he'll come off the bench. Either way, his positional versatility in playing all three frontcourt positions makes him an important piece for the next two-plus months. First, the offense needs to improve.
Kenrich Williams
Well, I hope all those years of putting Williams in the bacta tank can pay off. The 31-year-old has seen his playing time dwindle over the years. But more because of OKC's rich depth than his talent falling off. Thunder fans have clamored for him to get more minutes. Well, be careful what you wish for. Now, he's at the front of the rotation as a probable starter for the next two months.
Williams has to hit his outside jumpers and take on the forward matchups. That's asking a lot. We'll see if his body can handle the workload of a regular-season grind for the next two months. The Thunder have been cognizant of his usage over the years. But now that careful plan — along with a ton of other stuff — gets thrown out the window after one of the darkest days in franchise history.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Here are 4 OKC Thunder players who must help with Chet Holmgren out
