The OKC Thunder are set to return from a week off following the NBA All-Star Break. It was a silent NBA All-Star weekend by Oklahoma City Thunder standards, only sending one representative to Cleveland in the form of Josh Giddey who took play in the NBA Skills competition, and the NBA Rising Stars Challenge to kick off his All-Star week. Though now, it is back to business and back to the grind to finish out the final 24 games of the 2021-22 Season and turn their attention to the NBA offseason as they continue their rebuild of this roster.
Though, despite being 18-40, three games back of the worst seed in the Western Conference and six and a half back of the tenth seed NBA Play-In tournament the Oklahoma City Thunder fans have a ton of reasons to care about these final 24 games of the season. On Wednesday, the team held their first practice since the NBA All-Star Break and Mark Daigneault confirmed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is returning to the floor for the first time since January on Thursday against the Suns.
OKC Thunder still missing key pieces despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returning vs top of the Western Conference Phoenix Suns
while everyone in Bricktown is buzzing with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returning to the Paycom Center floor in downtown Oklahoma City tonight for the OKC Thunder, the organization is still missing a few key pieces for an undisclosed amount of time accord to the team’s bench boss Mark Daigneault.
Luguentz Dort, Ty Jerome, Kenrich Williams, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Mike Muscala are all out for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday against the red-hot Suns. Mark Daigneault was non-committal regarding how long each of these players would be out following the NBA All-Star break. Dort is sidelined with a shoulder strain, Williams is dealing with a knee injury, while Jerome is out with a sore hip.
Mike Muscala and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl seem like the most long-term injuries. Muscala has an Ankle Injury that stretches back to last season and the Oklahoma City Thunder have even teased surgery as an option for the veteran big man. The OKC Thunder have already announced Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is sidelined for at least six weeks before his re-evaluation date. That timetable dates back to February 3rd.
The Pheonix Suns are 48-10, six and a half games up on the two-seeded Golden State Warriors, one a seven-game winning streak, 9-1 in their last ten games, and 22-5 on the road. Despite their fantastic start to the season, they are dealing with injuries coming off the All-Star Break. It was announced minutes before the NBA All-Star Game Sunday that Chris Paul would be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks with a thumb injury.
Against the OKC Thunder, the Suns will also miss Frank Kaminsky (Knee), Cameron Payne (Wrist), and Dario Saric (ACL Tear). This opens up a back-to-back stretch as the team will travel to Indiana and play the Pacers on Friday Night.