OKC Thunder: Hamidou Diallo injury update

OKC Thunder, sophomore Hamidou Diallo is finally getting up shots with Monday being the four-week mark and time for a medical reassessment.

If it seems like a long time since the OKC Thunder played the Los Angeles Lakers that’s because the two games between the clubs occurred on November 19th and 22nd- over a month ago today.

That timeline is significant because it was in that second match at OKC that Hamidou Diallo sustained his hyperextended elbow injury. Diallo was defending LeBron James as he drove the paint. James clearly has some size on Diallo both in terms of muscle and overall weight. T.I. covered the initial injury (click here).

Therefore when James extended his arm to ward off Diallo it was the sophomore who got the worst of the contact.

In hindsight (and review of the video), as Diallo falls he also might have hit the arm of a teammate which could’ve tweaked something if hit in just the right spot.  Typically that wouldn’t matter, but given the right elbow is the same one he’s had issues with in the past it’s more susceptible. Last season in April 2019, Diallo underwent arthroscopic surgery on the same elbow and that injury took a month to heal.

Presumably, a second injury would take longer to heal – and/or the team would take greater caution in the rehab process.

When the hyperextension was isolated as the injury Head Coach Billy Donovan advised the medical team indicated the timeline for recovery would be between four to six weeks.

We’re right at the four week period and he’s getting shots up now that he’s out of the sling. But based on Donovan’s comments it sounds like this is more about staying conditioned. It looks like he is wearing both a compression sleeve and possibly another contraption that would take extra pressure off the arm — a sort of suspendered bra if you will.

However, as noted by Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Donovan stated Hami was initially held back not being able to do anything because of the full sling he had to wear.

Now that he doesn’t have to wear the full sling, the coaching and medical staff are with him as he gets up shots and keeping a close eye on his progress.

"As of Saturday, Daillo was able to shoot with that right hand. But, according to Donovan, he’s limited in the number of shots he can take and how far from the basket he can take them. The medical staff has drawn up a plan that increases both number and distance as Diallo progresses."

Specifically, the coaches are tracking distance, the number of shots he takes and his overall response to these sessions. Donovan noted there haven’t been any setbacks which means they’ll reassess the situation presumably on Monday, meaning a more formal medical exam will occur.

Still, there is no need to rush Diallo back and again, given his prior history of issues with the same arm and elbow, the Thunder will likely err on the side of caution.