Oklahoma City Thunder: Five Questions Going Into The Season
By Joshua Lea
2. Can the Oklahoma City Thunder stay healthy during the preseason?
Monday, everyone gasped with bated breath as Steven Adams came down awkwardly on his right ankle. He gingerly limped off the floor and did not return to the game. As a result, the Thunder lost their defensive leader and post protector for the remainder of the game.
Adams absence would be a crushing blow to the Thunder early in this season. However, there hasn’t been any official word on the seriousness of the injury or a timetable for his return.
The Thunder have already lost second-year point guard Cameron Payne to a broken bone in his right foot. While Payne isn’t as big of a role player as Adams, every injury affects the team. Adams should likely miss the next couple of games to ensure his ankle sprain is OK.
I would be surprised if Adams appeared on the court before Oct. 11 when the Thunder face the Memphis Grizzlies.
Hopefully, the injury to Adams is nothing more than a slight ankle sprain and there will be no reason to panic. This team doesn’t need an injury to a key player like Adams. The Thunder must stay healthy during the regular season if they are to make some noise in the playoffs.