LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 15: Ajay Mitchell #25 of Oklahoma City Thunder gets helped off the floor by his teammates Chris Youngblood #40, Cameron Brown #16 and Brooks Barnhizer #23 of Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2025 NBA Summer League game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 15, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
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The Oklahoma City Thunder have become accustomed to playing the 82-game regular season slate shorthanded, and that will once again be the case for the 2025-26 season as several injuries have already occurred.
Thomas Sorber, the Thunder’s recent rookie second-round pick, tore his ACL last month and will miss the entirety of the upcoming season. Furthermore, Jalen Williams underwent wrist surgery this summer, and his status for opening night remains unclear. He isn’t expected to miss significant time early in the season, but there are questions about whether he’ll be ready for the first game of the season on ring night against the Houston Rockets.
But more recently, news of Nikola Topic suffering an injury that will keep him out for four to six weeks, with a reevaluation after that window closes, adds to the list. Kenrich Williams also recently had a procedure and will be reevaluated in six to eight weeks, and will join him on the sideline. While neither Topic nor Williams are key rotation pieces, their absences still have a downstream impact on the Thunder roster — and there’s a real case to be made that two players will benefit most from the situation.
For starters, Ajay Mitchell — who’s currently battling a minor ankle injury but is expected to be ready for opening night — should see a more clear path to minutes. He already had high expectations entering his second season after a phenomenal rookie campaign, but now with Topic out, there’s no risk of having to split minutes with the Thunder’s highly-talented rookie early on.
Mitchell can focus on carving out a defined role and building confidence in the rotation. Topic wasn’t competition for minutes last year due to his ACL recovery, but that dynamic will carry into the first part of this season as well, giving Mitchell more of an opportunity to strengthen his place in the lineup.
As for Kenrich Williams’ injury, there’s a case to be made that Brooks Barnhizer, the two-way player the Thunder selected in the second round of the recent draft, could be the biggest beneficiary. Their archetypes aren’t identical, but they share similarities. Barnhizer, like Williams, can operate on the perimeter yet has the strength and versatility to play forward. He’s a pesky, disruptive defender who rebounds exceptionally well for his size, moves the ball and consistently makes winning plays.
Barnhizer wasn’t drafted to be a prolific scorer, but rather to bring effort, energy and toughness — the exact qualities Kenrich Williams embodies as a veteran. If he continues to play well in camp and throughout the preseason, he could earn meaningful minutes and help fill the void left by Williams. Williams’ injury is unfortunate, but it could provide the spark and opportunity Barnhizer needs to prove he’s worthy of more than a two-way contract with this franchise.
Overall, the Thunder are banged up entering the season, with both Topic and Williams expected to miss at least the first month or two. Still, Mitchell and Barnhizer stand to gain the most from the early adversity — a storyline to watch as OKC looks to defend its title with a new wave of contributors stepping up.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholascrain/2025/10/13/recent-thunder-injuries-provide-early-season-opportunity-for-ajay-mitchell-and-brooks-barnhizer/
