Earlier this week, news broke that one of the primary reserve bigs within the OKC Thunder rotation over the last two seasons has received a chomp from the injury bug.
Per a team spokesperson, third-year center, Jaylin Williams sustained a right hamstring strain during a training camp practice. Though not considered all that serious, the ailment is projected to leave him sidelined for the remainder of the preseason and, quite possibly, even during the infancy stages of the regular season.
Since joining the team back in 2022, the 22-year-old has established himself as a regular within coach Mark Daigneault's rotation and a beloved talent by GM Sam Presti. Throughout his soon-to-be three-year career, Williams finds himself sporting averages of 4.8 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 38.5 percent from distance in 15.3 minutes a night.
Now with his injury, the Thunder head into the 2024-25 campaign with a serious question mark and a rotational hole within their frontcourt.
However, while some may view this situation as somewhat debilitating, for someone like Ousmane Dieng, it could be seen as a great opportunity.
Ousmane Dieng could find increased opportunites with Thunder
Selected 11 overall back in the 2022 NBA Draft, the French-born baller has struggled to find consistent action within the Thunder rotation, as he's seen a total of 72 games played with the varsity team throughout his two-year tenure.
Predominantly, Dieng has spent the bulk of his time suiting up for the club's developmental team, the OKC Blue down in the G League where he's served as a regular starter and has dropped impressive, all-around averages of 16.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks.
Behind his efforts, the Blue went on to win the 2024 G League Championship, with Dieng being crowned Finals MVP after his 25-point, 6-rebound, 2-block performance.
Upon coming into the league, the combo forward was viewed as an incredibly promising talent what with his enviable size (6-foot-10 with a 7-foot wingspan), ball-handling, and play-making skills.
To some scouts, his potential on the hardwood drew high-end comparisons to that of Brandon Ingram, especially if he could ever find a way to improve upon his lacking jumper (shot just 39.8 percent from the field and 27.1 percent from deep in 2021-22 with the New Zeland Breakers).
Though his upside has yet to be discovered, considering he's only 21 years old and is entering the third year of his rookie-scale contract there's still time for the Thunder youngster to piece his skills together.
Perhaps opportunity is all he needs at this point, and, with Jaylin Williams' recent injury, perhaps that's what he'll end up receiving.