Playmakers Will Be Needed by Oklahoma City to Step Up Without Jalen Williams.
With a supplementary scoring option out due to injury, the Thunder will need to rely on their bench to score points.
For the Thunder, everything were going well until misfortune struck. Oklahoma City has had a fantastic start to the 2023–24 season with a record of 11–4, but they will need contributions from all players to win their next two important games.
Jalen Williams, who is expected to miss his third straight game due to a hip ailment against Philadelphia on Saturday, is the player with the biggest absence from the court.
Apart from Williams’s absence, the NBA’s investigation into Josh Giddey’s alleged inappropriate relationship is another cloud hanging over the squad.
Giddey’s fate for Saturday’s game is unknown, but Williams will undoubtedly be out. Thus, someone will need to take the initiative.
Cason Wallace will probably have to start over, and even though he has been quite effective, he will have to put on more volume.
Wallace has taken just eight shots overall in the last three games, but his shooting percentage is 50%. The Thunder will need him to be more aggressive offensively as his playing time increases.
Kenrich Williams has been huge in his return to the lineup, averaging 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds on 61.9% shooting. His size and rebounding skills can help make up for Jalen Williams’ loss in the frontcourt.
Over the first 14 games of the season, Isaiah Joe has been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s running mate. He is averaging 10.9 points on 51.8% shooting from 3-point range. He’ll have to help take the load off of Gilgeous-Alexander, who will be tasked with patrolling the offense.
Every player mentioned can help the Thunder in Williams’ absence, but deeper down the bench could be the real surprise. Could Saturday end up being a Tre Mann game? Or could Ousmane Dieng log minutes after his G League stint?
Mann logged 23 minutes in Oklahoma City’s blowout win over Portland and recorded seven points on 3-of-7 shooting. If the Thunder’s offense needs a spark early, Mann could be a candidate for minutes off the bench.
The Thunder will need a leader, and they already have one with the Sixers and the Timberwolves scheduled to play.
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