Wednesday's Game 2 win over the Phoenix Suns didn't come without bumps and bruises for the OKC Thunder, the most notable being Jalen Williams' latest hamstring injury.
While the injury is a massive blow to a team with legitimate aspirations to repeat as champions, the offensive slack could be shouldered by an unexpected source.
When looking back on the regular season, fellow wing Isaiah Joe has benefited the most from Williams' prolonged absences.
Joe scored a meager 8.9 points per game while averaging just 16.3 minutes on the floor with J-Dub in the lineup, while dropping 12.1 points a night in 24.1 minutes without the All-Star available.
Isaiah Joe's season has been leading up to this opportunity with Thunder
The expected larger role stands in stark contrast to what the sharpshooter experienced earlier in the year, when he was consistently seeing less than 20 minutes on the floor each night.
It was getting to the point where some were even wondering whether it was time to move on from the sixth-year man.
Of course, when injuries began piling up for the Thunder after the All-Star break, Joe saw extended minutes and ran with it. He was OKC's leading scorer for a stretch without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and his defense vastly improved from the beginning of the year.
It was this torrid stretch where Joe cemented himself as a trustworthy part of the rotation.
Now, after playing 20 and 15 minutes in the first two games of the series, OKC travels to Phoenix, where Joe's perimeter prowess will likely be more heavily relied upon with Williams on sabbatical.
Joe's role will become even more necessary as Thunder advance
J-Dub was diagnosed with a grade 1 hamstring strain and was set to be re-evaluated "weekly."
In other words, there is no timetable for his return.
If his absence is prolonged, Joe could be relied upon even more heavily as the Thunder move through the postseason.
The Lakers appear to be their most likely opponent in the next round, and Joe dominated them in the regular season. In the four games he played, he averaged 19.5 points on a ridiculous 57.1 percent shooting from downtown in just 23.3 minutes of action.
If the Thunder advance, they will likely face one of the Spurs, Nuggets, or Timberwolves in a battle of heavyweights. If Williams still can't go, there is no doubt that Joe will need to make shots in order for OKC to keep up with these offensive juggernauts.
With their star out for the foreseeable future, the Thunder will have to rely on their strength: depth. A multitude of injuries throughout the regular season have prepared players like I-Joe for this moment, and the long-range sniper has proven he can rise to the occasion when his number is called.
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