Oklahoma City Thunder DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein has suffered a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand and will be re-evaluated in five-to-six weeks, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. The 26-year-old big man suffered the injury in Tuesday's preseason contest against Denver. Harteinstein was set to be the Thunder's new starting center after the team brought him in over the summer as a free agent from New York. Chet Holmgren will now likely remain at the center position to start the 2024-25 campaign, while the door has opened for Alex Caruso to enter the first unit.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward/center Jaylin Williams (hamstring) will sit out the preseason. Williams has sustained a right hamstring strain, and the team will re-evaluate him after the preseason. The Thunder kick off their regular-season slate on Oct. 24 versus Denver. Williams saw his playing time drop during his sophomore campaign in 2023-24, as he averaged 13.0 minutes across 69 games. The addition of Isaiah Hartenstein will make his life even more difficult in Oklahoma City. With Kenrich Williams (knee) also out, we should see a lot of Ousmane Dieng in preseason.

Per The Athletic's Andrew Schlect, Oklahoma City Thunder forwardKenrich Williams(knee) had a successful arthroscopic debridement procedure on his right knee on Tuesday. Williams's knee will be reevaluated after the Thunder's preseason concludes. In 2023-24, the 29-year-old appeared in 69 regular-season contests and averaged 4.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Once healthy, Williams will likely not be much of a fantasy contributor, as his time on the court was reduced to 14.9 minutes per contest in last year's campaign.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso is looking forward to working with Mark Daigneault again, who coached him in the G League at the start of his career. "We have a great relationship," Caruso said in an interview with TexAgs Radio. "I know what to expect out of him and he knows how to coach and push me. If there was one word to describe it, just excited." Caruso had a career year in Chicago last term. Working with a coach who "knows" how to push him puts the versatile guard in a good spot to improve further in 2024-25.

New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein has been heavily linked with a move elsewhere, and it's beginning to look like the team won't be able to hang on to him. Following the Knicks' big trade for Mikal Bridges, NBA insider Ian Begley reported that sources have told him it's become "increasingly unlikely" that the Knicks will be able to retain Hartenstein. The 26-year-old big man is expected to be a "top" target for several teams in free agency. With Mitchell Robinson reportedly on the trade block, New York's center rotation could be very different in 2024-25.