Though Cason Wallace's shoulder injury may not have looked all that severe when compared to Jalen Williams' gruesome ankle fracture sustained on the very same night, history suggests his chances of returning to action for the OKC Thunder are just as slim as his All-Star teammate's.
During a recent edition of the All NBA Podcast, Insider Marc Stein revealed that data dating all the way back to 2005 suggests that the odds of Wallace actually making his way back to the hardwood in 2026-27 are incredibly slim.
Throughout this 21-year timeframe, the only player to return the same season they tore their labrum and opted to undergo surgery is Nicolas Batum, who did so back in 2009 while with the Trail Blazers.
Now, what's worth noting about this scenario with the veteran forward is that, as pointed out by Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes, his injury was sustained on October 25, the exact same date as Wallace's.
With this, one may now be inclined to hold out hope that the Thunder could theoretically end up getting their defensive stalwart back into the fold sometime in the second half of the season, as Portland did with Batum.
However, based on the bevy of other players who sustained the same injury over the years, perhaps it would be best to view Batum's situation as an anamoly more than anything else.
Uncertainty over return dates leaves potential Thunder DPEs in limbo
Though getting both Wallace and Williams back at some point this season would certainly be a dream come true for the Thunder, given the severity of their respective injuries, in the end, such a scenario will likely turn out to be just a dream.
Still, OKC has refrained from giving a return timeline for either player, which, on the one hand, is encouraging when it comes to a possible return, but on the other, hurts the club's chances of successfully applying for a Disabled Player Exception.
In order to be granted a DPE, it must be ruled by a league-approved physician that the injured player in question is unable to play through June 15 of that same league year.
Leaving the return dates of both Williams and Wallace open-ended inherently puts the Thunder at a severe disadvantage when it comes to any hope of attaining such an exception.
Until Wallace officially goes under the knife, there's no telling what the future holds for OKC and their potential DPE bid.
However, considering even J-Dub's return is still technically a possibility based on the team's official medical update, one should expect they'll leave Wallace's open as well.
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