We're now over a year into Thomas Sorber's tenure with the OKC Thunder, and he's still yet to log a single minute of action for the club as a result of a season-ending ACL tear last offseason.
Now, coming into 2026-27, fans and pundits alike are champing at the bit as they wait for the widely regarded 2025 NBA Draft steal to take to the hardwood. Unfortunately, patience is a practice still being urged.
At least, that's what Sorber is stressing at this time, as he recently told the folks at ClutchPoints that the primary advice his Thunder cohorts have given him throughout his recovery process is to "always be patient" and to "dial into whatever the medical staff" says.
While we may now officially be well beyond the general six-to-nine-month recovery timeline for ACL recoveries, considering he underwent an operation on this same knee this summer to essentially clean things up even more, the thought that he still may not be fully back to his pre-injury self is far from a surprise.
Fortunately, assuming he does lean into this proposed slow pace toward getting into the swing of things, the Thunder still find themselves in an enviable position to try and integrate a young, recently selected first-round big man into their rotation with the likes of Aday Mara.
Thomas Sorber patience granting Aday Mara ample Thunder attention
Heading into training camp, many were looking forward to seeing a recovered Sorber and the recently selected Mara compete against one another to claim the role as the fourth big man behind the likes of Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams in OKC's frontcourt rotation.
Sadly, with his recent knee operation, Sorber is suggesting that he's set to ease his way back into things. From an excitement standpoint, this may be a bit of a let-down for Thunder fans. However, for Mara, this is a great opportunity for him to draw the lion's share of attention towards him.
Coming in as a lottery pick from this past June's draft, it was already believed that he would be a prominent figure for both pundits and team personnel to pay close attention to throughout camp.
However, with his surge in play while suiting up for Team Spain during this summer's FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, the hype surrounding the 7-foot-3 pivot has steadily been on the rise as of late.
With Sorber hinting that he's proceeding with patience, Mara has seemingly become even more of a headline prospect to monitor this preseason.
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