Shai Sidelined by Ankle Injury

Good morning Thunder fans, and happy Monday!

Welcome back to The Graham Jam newsletter, where we cover the latest news and notes on your Oklahoma City Thunder every week.

Oklahoma City has only played twice since our last newsletter. But that doesn't mean there's nothing new to say – far from it, in fact. On Friday, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned his ankle in a third-quarter drive to the basket against Indiana. SGA limped to the locker room and never reentered the game, but it wasn't clear at the time just how serious the injury would be.

Now we know: Shai will miss at least three weeks with an ankle sprain and be reevaluated after the All-Star Game on Feb. 20.

In this week's newsletter, we'll talk about how that injury will impact the team and examine how the Thunder fared in All-Star voting. Let's go!

Last week

Chicago 111, Thunder 110, 1/24 HOME

Indiana 113, Thunder 110 (OT), 1/28 HOME

Life With SGA Away

It's deja vu all over again, Thunder fans.

Last spring, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the final 29 games of the season with a foot injury, a stretch during which OKC went just 3-26. Now, SGA will be sidelined for a prolonged stretch again.

The good news is that Shai probably won't miss the rest of the season. Unfortunately, OKC was already struggling to win with Shai on the court and will likely struggle even more without him.

Oklahoma City is just 1-12 in its last 13 games, dropping its season record to 14-34. The team has yet to win a game this season without its top scorer; between COVID protocols and minor injuries, SGA has missed five games and Oklahoma City dropped all five.

The team's offense is 6.2 points better, per 100 possessions, when Shai is on the floor. His 22.7 points per game are 6.4 more than Lu Dort's, the team's second-highest scorer at 16.3 ppg.

That said, losing Shai temporarily is not all doom and gloom. It will give more playing time to guards like Theo Maledon, Ty Jerome, Tre Mann and especially Josh Giddey, who will be able to play the point far more often than he usually does. That experience will hopefully help Giddey grow into the player OKC needs him to be.

Maledon is another interesting case. Though he played promising stretches last season, Maledon had been a disappointment in the 2021-22 campaign. So the Thunder gave him extended minutes at the G League affiliate OKC Blue.

Maledon thrived, and earned another callup and greater minutes with the big club. He played about 12-and-a-half minutes on Friday against Indiana. Though Maledon averages only 3.7 points in 13.5 minutes for the Thunder, he is averaging 17.7 points and more than 32 minutes in 14 games with the Blue.

SGA's absence might not look pretty on the record sheet. But let's face it – the team's record is already not pretty. It's discouraging to see Gilgeous-Alexander down again, as no one wants the team's young star to be viewed as "injury-prone."

But his time away will provide opportunities, as such injuries always do, and hopefully will make a difference in the long-term development of the team – not least by securing it a better draft pick.

All-Star Results

The full results of 2022 NBA All-Star voting were revealed last week, and – unfortunately but not surprisingly – no Thunder players made the starting cut. The Western Conference starters will be Memphis' Ja Morant, Golden State's Steph Curry, LeBron James of the Lakers, Denver's Nikola Jokic and, most controversially, Andrew Wiggins of the Warriors.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Trae Young got the nod in the East.

For Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander finished 13th in the fan vote, which accounts for 50% of the selection criteria. But he actually finished seventh in the players vote, appearing on 20 players' ballots. The player and media voters are the other half of the selection puzzle; each group's vote is weighed at 25%.

Similarly, Giddey finished way back at 30th among the fans but got six player votes, placing him 16th on their list. It's probably not surprising, given OKC's status as a small-market team and non-contender, that its guards would get little attention from the fans and more from the players who have to compete with them each night.

Luguentz Dort was 38th among fans, but got five player votes. Mike Conley, an All-Star last season, was among the players who also got five votes from other players.

In the frontcourt, OKC's top vote-getter was Darius Bazley with three player votes (T-35th) and 8,930 fan votes (64th). It's been a lean year for the Oklahoma City frontcourt.

The All-Star reserves will be announced on Feb. 3; they are selected by a vote of NBA head coaches. SGA's injury should close the door on any possibility of a Thunder player in the All-Star Game this year.

Tank Time

Before we go, let's take another spin on Tankathon.com. Oklahoma City's 14-34 record is fourth-worst in the league, but just a half-game better than Houston's. With recent developments, Oklahoma City is in great position to earn the best odds in the draft lottery.

In today's simulation:

1. Oklahoma City (+3 from current record)

2. Indiana (+4)

3. Sacramento (+2)

4. New Orleans (+3)

5. Orlando (-4)

6. Detroit (-4)

7. Houston (-4)

8. San Antonio

9. Portland

10. New York

11. Washington

12. Atlanta

13. Memphis (via LA Lakers)

14. Boston

Bingo! That's what we like to see. Oklahoma City could absolutely nab that coveted No. 1 pick, even without improving its odds before the offseason.

Remember, OKC also owns the Clippers' pick. Incredibly, the Clippers are not even the worst team in Los Angeles right now. But I'd expect that to change before the season ends. Here's hoping for two lottery picks this June.

That's all from me, folks. Have a great week, and Thunder Up!

This week

1/31: Thunder vs. Portland, 7 p.m., Bally Sports Oklahoma

1/2: Thunder @ Dallas, 7:30 p.m., BSOK

1/4: Thunder @ Portland, 9 p.m., BSOK

1/5: Thunder @ Sacramento, 9 p.m., BSOK