OKC Thunder confirm Abdel Nader suffered concussion

OKC Thunder confirms Abdel Nader suffered a concussion in the scrimmage game versus the Celtics.

On Friday, July 24th the OKC Thunder played their first of three scrimmage games. The Boston Celtics were the opponent — the same team the Thunder last played a game against on March 8th.

Although scrimmages at this point aren’t delivering the same level of competition we were used to prior to the suspension this one provided great insights.

The highpoint of the scrimmage was when Andre Roberson checked into the match after being off the court for three days short of two and half years.

There were ample keys to point to that were positives for Billy Donovan and his OKC Thunder to draw from. One was the play of Abdel Nader who scored 11 points on 5 of 9 from the field hitting one deep ball. Nader also grabbed two rebounds, blocked a shot, and was an impressive plus nine in his 12:50 on the court. Unfortunately, the strong start by the wing ended terribly.

OKC Thunder confirm Nader concussion

Nader tripped over Robert Williams’ feet and since he was unsuspecting he was unable to put his hands out to brace himself. The result was his head snapped backward hitting the court. Immediately, it was clear this was likely going to be a concussion. In the post-scrimmage media, Billy Donovan said the medical team was looking at Nader and didn’t have an update for him prior to coming to do the media.

That update came today with confirmation Nader did in fact suffer a concussion. The wing will enter the concussion protocol program. There is no timetable for a return and these types of injuries can vary widely. Some players can return quickly while others suffer from the after-effects for weeks.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

For the moment it’s unlikely he’ll suit up for either remaining scrimmage with games on Sunday and Tuesday. The seeding games begin on August 1st – six days from now. The team will monitor Nader daily for his progress with him needing to pass each stage of the program.

Prior to him returning Nader will partake in a tiered test part of which requires him to ride a stationary bike, jog, do agility work, and non-contact drills at increasing levels of difficulty. If at any time the player experiences symptoms they stop and return to try again later once they are symptom-free.

Nerlens Noel was also kept out of the match versus the Celtics with the team wanting to give his wonky ankle extra time to heal.

At some point soon, Dennis Schroder will leave the bubble to attend the birth of his second child.

This is why depth is so important in this return to action. Hopefully, Noel will be back Sunday and the Thunder will stay as healthy as possible moving forward.

Here’s hoping Nader is feeling better today and able to heal quickly.