As if Lu Dort wasn't already missed in the Sooner State enough, the recent string of injury news for the OKC Thunder will only make the longing for the beloved veteran grow even stronger.
Following two separate, highly unfortunate turns of events during Sunday's bout against the LA Clippers, it has officially been reported that Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace will be undergoing surgeries to repair a dislocated left ankle/ fractured fibula and a torn labrum in his left shoulder, respectively, and are slated to be "sidelined for several months -- most, if not the entire season."
In just one night, the Thunder managed to lose two of their best overall defenders, and easily their top perimeter defenders, potentially for the remainder of the 2026-27 campaign.
While this alone is enough to warrant intense feelings of anguish and despair out in Oklahoma City, what makes this situation even worse is the fact that they willingly parted ways with the one player who could have helped lessen the blow of their losses on the less glamorous side of the ball just this past summer in Dort.
Instead, the All-Defensive talent and foundational piece of the Thunder's 2025 NBA Championship run now finds himself suiting up as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, where, through three games played, he's boasting the fifth-best steals percentage on the team while holding opponents to just 31.8 percent shooting from deep.
Simply put, this is merely another painful reminder of why hindsight is always 20/20.
Thunder likely to lean on Ajay Mitchell in wake of recent injuries
Fortunately or unfortunately -- depending on how one cares to look at it --, the Thunder have ample experience dealing with widespread injuries on the team.
From Chet Holmgren's right iliac wing fracture to J-Dub's wrist and nagging hamstring injuries, they've had to overcome these kinds of issues throughout both of the past two seasons.
In doing so, they discovered just how impactful a guy like Ajay Mitchell can be when thrust into a starting role and filling in as a focal point weapon.
Through 16 games played in the first five unit last regular season, Mitchell posted an impressive stat line of 14.9 points, 3.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game on 41.7 percent shooting from deep.
These numbers rose even higher under the bright lights of the postseason, where he averaged 18.4 points, 4.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in seven games in place of the injured Williams.
In these 23 instances when Mitchell suited up as a starter, the Thunder went a ridiculous 22-1.
With all this in mind, one should expect coach Mark Daigneault to lean on Mitchell in the same way following the recent injury news for both Williams and Wallace.
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