Recent prediction completely counters fears of Thunder forward losing rotation spot

The OKC Thunder are looking to win a championship in 2024-25, and will need all hands on deck to accomplish such a feat.

Unfortunately, one of the club's regular contributors from over the last several seasons is reported to be heading into the upcoming campaign with his health status in question, as veteran Kenrich Williams recently underwent an "arthroscopic debridement procedure in his right knee."

Though the operation has been labeled as "successful" by the organization, with training camp set to kick off in just a few weeks it has been determined that the forward will at best be highly limited and, more realistically, consistently inactive between now and offseason's end, as reports are he won't be re-evaluated until after the preseason.

The timing of such news is far from ideal for Williams, as it is believed that he was already heading into camp on the rotation bubble following a rather poor 2023-24 showing that saw his drop career-low averages of just 4.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists through 69 games played.

In fact, to some, this procedure could be seen as a potential death knell for his usage within coach Mark Daigneault's regular game plan.

However, not all view the surgery as the start of a grave domino effect.

In fact, one recent prediction suggests that confidence in Kenrich Williams' ability to produce for this Thunder team is still rather high.

Kenrich Williams predicted to be in playoff rotation for OKC Thunder

Recently, OKC Thunder Wire's Clemente Almanza made a rather bold prediction suggesting that not only will Williams be a contributor within coach Daigneault's rotation this coming year, but he'll be utilized under the bright lights of the NBA Playoffs as well.

Undoubtedly a surprising projection to see, as the veteran saw just 31 total minutes played during the Thunder's two-round excursion during the 2024 postseason, Almanza believes that his lacking usage could be seen as quite "controversial," specifically highlighting his "positive impact in limited time" during their semifinal matchup against the Mavericks.

Despite only seeing action in three games at an average rate of 5.0 minutes a night, Williams found himself registering the second-highest net rating in the series against Dallas at 20.0 and had the fourth-best plus-minus rating due, in large, to his defensive chops.

While perhaps rather bold, especially considering we're still only in mid-September and the Thunder have roughly 10 other players who realistically could be vying for consistent action during the highly anticipated 2025 playoffs, Almanza believes Oklahoma City "likely learned from their mistakes of icing Williams out" and will be looking to make up for it this time around.