Though 2024-25 is proving to be a year of continued growth and success for the OKC Thunder, as they boast the best record in the Western Conference at 18-5 and are objectively the best two-way team in the league, it's also shaping up to be a campaign of wide-spread injuries.
Dating back to the offseason, there have been an astonishing number of Oklahoma City players who have succumbed to varying health-related ailments.
From 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic, who is expected to be out all season as he rehabs from a torn Achilles, to star big Chet Holmgren, who has been out a month with a right iliac wing fracture, Mark Daigneault finds himself in charge of an all-around bruised and battered roster.
Now, heading into Tuesday's NBA Cup Quarterfinals matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, it appears the injury bug has chomped down on yet another Thunder player, as the organization announced that sophomore Adam Flagler has sustained a right fourth metacarpal fracture.
Per the club's PR team, he will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
OKC Thunder guard Adam Flagler fractures right hand
After three impressive active seasons with the Baylor Bears (finished with 13.0 points, 3.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals), Flagler went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft where he would go on to sign with the Thunder's G League affiliate team, the OKC Blue.
Following a stellar start to his tenure, the guard wound up working his way toward signing a two-way deal with the franchise, allowing him to play up to 50 games with the varsity team per year.
Due to Oklahoma City's many injuries, Flagler kicked off this 2024-25 season with regular call-ups. Through the first quarter of play, he has already seen 11 games played with the Thunder and has averaged 1.4 points in 3.6 minutes per contest.
Though these numbers may not shout "game-changer," the 25-year-old has consistently found himself turning heads with his play down in the development league.
Seeing a sizeable role within the Blue's backcourt over the last two seasons, Flagler played a key role in their 2023-24 G League Championship run and, now in this year's campaign, is sporting averages of 25 points, 5.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals.
Now, with his hand injury, the youngster will be forced to the sidelines through at least mid-January and, in turn, join Oklahoma City's continuously growing injury report.