The Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the greatest teams in the league during the 2023-24 season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate, while the Thunder gave a glimpse of their full potential with young, emerging stars like Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. This club has depth, and they are continuing to progress, which is why many are picking Oklahoma City to win the Western Conference during the 2024-25 season. However, their depth took a hit ahead of training camp on Tuesday when the team announced veteran wing Kenrich Williams underwent knee surgery.
Williams, 29, has been a regular presence on the Thunder’s bench through the years and is one of the more seasoned leaders in the locker room. He will now be sidelined indefinitely through training camp and the NBA preseason after undergoing a successful arthroscopic debridement treatment in his right knee.
While no precise schedule for his recovery has been provided by the team, it is reported that Williams will be re-evaluated after the preseason, indicating his position for the start of the 2024-25 season could be in peril.
In a total of 69 games last season, the most appearances he’s made in a single season, Williams averaged 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 39.7 percent from three-point range. Despite not being regarded for being an elite-level scorer, Williams is a very dependable wing, and fulfils his role to perfection. He can be a supplementary facilitator, a spot-up shooter, and most importantly, someone the Thunder can trust on defensively.
Without Williams in the fold entering the preseason, opportunities will be had for Aaron Wiggins, Ousmane Dieng, and rookie first-round choice Dillon Jones.
Much like Williams, Wiggins is a versatile wing that the Thunder greatly like. The 25-year-old can guard many spots, and he shot 49.2 percent from three-point range in 78 total games last season. This offseason, Wiggins agreed to stay in Oklahoma City on a five-year, $45 million contract.
Dieng, on the other hand, is still a work-in-progress after being picked 11th overall in 2022. The French forward did not receive much playing time last season, and he now enters a key third year in Oklahoma City, a season in which he must prove his value to preserve his roster spot moving ahead.
Jones, who many predicted to be a second-round choice in the 2024 NBA Draft, is a guy the Thunder are very high on. At Weber State, Jones demonstrated his array of talents and established that he can be another plug-and-play man for this club like Williams and Wiggins. While he failed to distinguish himself during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Jones could wind up getting minutes early on in his career, especially if Williams misses the start of the regular season.
Further specifics on Williams’ status and the potential of him being ready for the Thunder’s first game against the Denver Nuggets on October 24 will be given by the franchise at a later time.
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