The Oklahoma City Thunder had two big splashes in the offseason, adding Alex Caruso via trade and signing Isaiah Hartenstein. In addition, they brought back two key role players, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. As the offseason got further along, it seemed like the Thunder were ok with not filling out their final roster spot. However, that plan could change with the recent injury to Kenrich Williams. According to Thunder beat writer Joel Lorenzi, Kenrich Williams underwent a successful knee procedure. With the procedure, Williams will be re-evaluated after the preseason. Now that Williams could miss the start of the regular season, the Thunder should look to fill their final roster spot.
The Thunder says Kenrich Williams underwent a successful arthroscopic debridement procedure in his right knee today at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, NY, with Thunder medical personnel present. Williams will be re-evaluated after the preseason.
— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) September 17, 2024
The Thunder Should Fill Final Roster Spot After Recent Injury
Relying on Too Many Young Players
Kenrich Williams’ injury is a blow to the depth of the Thunder this year. The Thunder will likely turn to either rookie Dillon Jones or third-year forward Ousmane Dieng. Those players will likely fill the void as long as Williams is out. However, with the Thunder being one of the top contenders this year, they can’t rely on too many young players contributing like they were able to in past years. Jones is a rookie with no NBA experience and is destined to make mistakes early on as he is being developed. The Thunder can’t be as patient with young players making mistakes as they have been in recent years when they were rebuilding.
On the other hand, is Ousmane Dieng, who is entering his third year and has more experience than Jones. However, in his first two seasons, he spent the majority of his time in the G-league. Furthermore, of the three two-way players they have, two of them are rookies, and one is a second-year player. That is five young players the Thunder will rely on to replace Kenrich Williams. Furthermore, the Thunder should look to add a veteran to fill their final roster spot. That way, the veteran can help ease the transition to those younger players on the roster.
Only Having 12 Healthy Players on The 15-man Roster
With the injury to Kenrich Williams and their first-round pick Nikola Topic being out for his entire rookie year. That leaves the Thunder with only 12 healthy players on the 15-man roster to begin the season. If more injuries start piling up early on, they could be in danger of having a limited amount of players they can play on a night-to-night basis. Before the injury, they had 13, which allowed them to be ok with not filling out their roster completely. However, with the injuries piling up and could be a factor, filling out their final roster spot will allow them to handle more injuries if they occur.
Free Agents The Thunder Could Sign to Fill That Final Roster Spot
Finally, if the Thunder do choose to fill out their final roster spot before training camp. There are still a couple of intriguing veterans they could look at. One of those options is Jae Crowder. Crowder plays the same position as Williams and could fill his role perfectly. In addition, he fits the Thunder system of being able to knock down threes and play defense. Plus, he is a nice veteran to have around regardless, and helps some of the young guys out for the future. Another option is Doug McDermott, who is a knockdown shooter to have come off the bench. He should be a welcomed addition to a Thunder team that struggled to shoot the deep ball in the playoffs.
The last option is Justin Holiday. Holiday is on the older side with him being 35 however, he will help fill the void as long as Williams is out. He is a capable shooter and is good enough on the defensive side of the ball to fit with the Thunder. Those are three great veteran options the Thunder could add to not only help with Williams being out but also in the playoffs with their experience. Regardless of whether they add one of those three players or not, the Thunder should highly consider filling out their final roster spot, especially now with the injury to Williams.
