Just before the Media Day of 2025-26 even began, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced some more news of injuries. Kenrich Williams underwent knee surgery that knocked him out for at least 6 to 8 weeks. That means that it will probably be lost in the first 15 games of the regular season.
This is not a new territory for Williams, who has had injuries before. The 30 -year -old is one of the oldest players in thunder. Although its role has decreased in recent years, it is still projected to be part of the OKC rotation.
Williams averaged 16.4 minutes in 69 games last season. He had his moments during the playoffs race of Thunder to a NBA championship. Who can absorb your unoccupied minutes in the meantime? There are four candidates here:
Jaylin Williams
This is probably the easiest solution. Williams was already ahead of Williams in the depth table. The first signed a contract extension this low season, which meant that the Thunder believes that it still has space to grow. Although he is the center of third string in the depth table, he is still a valuable rotation player who could help them in certain clashes.
Wait for Williams to be a main rotation piece. You can shoot from the outside and it has been shown to be a secondary games creator. You have to like your development history over the years. And the 23 -year -old is a perfectly fine bank player in the regular season.
Ousmane Dieng
The possibilities are exhausted for DIEN. He is in the last year of his rookie contract. And without an extension of contract in sight, that probably suggests that your time in thunder is close to its end. That said, this could be his last ferret. At least, the 23 -year -old could improve his commercial value by showing a few minutes of quality rotation in the NBA champion.
Dieng has shown flashes, but has never made a sustained race in the NBA. Unfortunately, the long -term project never had the opportunity to learn at work, since Thunder quickly rose to the best league team. Maybe a new start in another place does something good.
Brooks Barnhizer
This could be a golden opportunity for Barnhizer. The majority expected it to be with the OKC Blue in the G League for most of the season. The bidirectional rookie was buried in the depth table. He would take wounds to see the court. Now, Williams surgery opens the window a bit.
Everything will depend on how Barnhizer looks at the training and preseason camp. We know that it can be super active at both ends on the floor, but shooting will be your ability to make or break. Obtaining a few minutes of early rotation in the regular season could contribute largely to your development path.
Nikola theme
This is out of position, but the issue could simply absorb Williams’ minutes. The Thunder have enough front field options, but they could divert their minutes in their higher development project this season. After getting lost last season with a torn acl, everyone is eager to see how it looks against the NBA competition.
It is likely that there is a learning curve involved with the subject. That will test the patience of OKC to develop it while trying to win regular seasonal games. That said, the game potential is too tempting not to invest. He is exactly what they need as a backup ball handler if everything goes well.
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