Oklahoma City has been hit hard by injuries early in the season, and its veterans will need to make an impact to keep the team at the top of the standings.
On Sunday night, the Thunder beat the LA Clippers at Paycom Center to move to 3-0 to begin the season. However, the result of the game took a backseat to the injuries that piled up for the Thunder.
After Cason Wallace left the game in the first quarter with a left shoulder injury, attention turned to Jalen Williams after he suffered a serious left leg injury in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Leaving on a stretcher, Williams gave two thumbs up to the crowd on his way out, but it will likely be the last time Williams is on the floor for quite some time.
While the Thunder were hit hard by seeing their teammate go down, the season will rage on with the second night of a back-to-back against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. While the Thunder will be without some of their top players, they’ve got some depth to lean on.
Perhaps most importantly, the Thunder have a group of veteran players ready to take on a larger role whenever their number is called. Despite those two injuries not directly impacting Isaiah Hartenstein’s position, he’ll likely need to make a more significant impact, whether that be as a playmaker or on the glass.
Of course, the two veterans most impacted by the injuries will be Alex Caruso and Kenrich Williams. Caruso was already taking on a bit of a larger role in the Thunder’s win over the Clippers, given Wallace’s early exit.
Throughout his time with the Thunder, Caruso has been largely limited in the regular season, but with recent injuries and Oklahoma City’s offseason moves, he could soon see himself in a larger role. Perhaps even finding himself in the starting lineup as he was multiple times in the preseason, Caruso’s role over the coming weeks and months could look a lot more similar to his stops prior to Oklahoma City.
Meanwhile, Williams is now left as the Thunder’s only true forward on the standard roster. Despite his role fluctuating over the past few years, he’s always been ready for any moment. Although Mark Daigneault has largely used him in small stints, the TCU product’s role could start looking more like the one he had in his early days with the Thunder.
The Thunder’s situation after Sunday night is far from ideal, but they’ve got the veteran depth they need to stay afloat as long as they need.
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