The OKC Thunder are a week removed from their first COVID-19 outbreak shuffling players in and out of NBA Health and Safety Protocols, and the hits keep coming. After seeing Darius Bazley and Tre Mann enter protocols last Sunday the OKC Thunder also placed head coach, Mark Daigneault, and top assistant, Dave Bliss into the protocols. Eventually, Josh Giddey, Derrick Favors, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl joined them. Rookie forward Aaron Wiggins only lasted mere hours in the protocols before he was eligible to return to the team after his false positive. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the team’s latest COVID Protocols entry.
Since the initial outbreak, the Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Aaron Wiggins, Derrick Favors, Aleksej Pokusevski, and now Josh Giddey return from the league’s health and safety protocols. It is unclear when Darius Bazley, Tre Mann, or Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will exit the league’s protocols which seemingly alter the criteria daily. While we know the entire organization is vaccinated, it is unclear which players are and are not battling symptoms which changes the timeline on COVID-19 clearance. As far as we know, Mark Daigneault and Dave Bliss will still be in protocols tonight against the Mavericks, though the team of course does not list coaches on the League’s Injury report.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to miss OKC Thunder battle against Dallas Mavericks, enters league health and safety protocols
SGA, who is still battling for his first All-Star nod, will miss time in the NBA’s Health and Safety protocol after spending some of the 2021-22 campaign battling a bum ankle. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played in 31 games so far this season, averaging 22-points, five rebounds, five assists, a steal, and nearly a block per game. The biggest obstacle in his road to Cleveland is the efficiency dip with shooting splits of 41/28/81 down from 50/41/80.
He will assuredly be sidelined against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday in downtown Oklahoma City, as the Mavericks enter the Paycom Center with Luka Doncic back in the fold, but it is anyone’s guess how many games he will miss.
Luckily for the OKC Thunder, unlike last week when the team played four games in seven days, OKC plays the Mavericks Sunday, but will not play again until Wednesday against the Timberwolves. The team plays Minnesota on Friday, and Denver on Sunday to conclude the week.