The OKC Thunder were hit with some crushing news on Friday, September 5, as Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that rookie big man Thomas Sorber has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee.
As a result, he is now slated to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season.
Since being selected 15 overall in this past June's NBA Draft, the one-and-done Georgetown product has received a ton of attention and hype thanks to his impressive combination of size, athleticism, and defensive chops.
Some have even gone as far as to label Sorber one of the biggest steals from his respective class.
Now, with him set to rehabilitate for the duration of this upcoming campaign, the Thunder will have a freed-up roster spot that they could opt to fill in a number of ways.
Of course, perhaps the easiest and, frankly, most obvious way of approaching their rotational vacancy is to plug sophomore center Branden Carlson into it.
Thunder must consider Branden Carlson as Thomas Sorber replacement
This summer, the former undrafted free agent re-upped with the defending champions on a two-way contract after playing under such a pact for the majority of last season.
The 26-year-old undoubtedly deserved the new deal, and arguably a more lucrative one than that following his rookie year with the Thunder.
While he may have only seen a mere 7.7 minutes on average in 2024-25, whenever given even the slightest of an increase in his on-court duties, the big man visibly showcased just how impressive he can be within the rotation.
When receiving double-digit minutes on the season, the 7-footer would find himself producing to the tune of 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks a night. He would also go absolutely nuclear in the club's regular season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans, where he wrapped up with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks while logging 38 minutes on the night.
Carlson's sensational level of play seemingly flowed right on through into this offseason, as he shined bright during Summer League action, exploding for a 23 points on 69.2 percent shooting from the floor and 66.7 percent shooting from deep performance against the Magic while wrapping the Las Vegas games with averages of 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds on 56.7 percent shooting from the floor and 50.0 percent shooting from distance.
We've already seen Sam Presti convert a promising two-way talent into a standard-contract player within the past year with the likes of Ajay Mitchell.
With the unfortunate Thomas Sorber injury, coupled with his already proven track record of positively contributing within the Thunder's scheme, extending this same opportunity to a guy like Carlson currently seems like a no-brainer.