Thomas Sorber remains one of the biggest unknowns on the Thunder roster, and that mystery is only growing as Oklahoma City moves deeper into the preseason.
Sorber has still not appeared in a Summer League game, a preseason game, or a regular-season game across his two seasons in the league. That drought will continue Monday against the Atlanta Hawks, since he has officially been ruled out while recovering from the knee operation he had earlier this offseason.
When Sorber entered the 2025 NBA Draft, he was viewed as one of the top big-man prospects in the class, especially for what he could bring defensively. The Thunder selected the former Georgetown standout with the 15th pick, and plenty of people saw it as the kind of value swing that could fit right into an already championship-caliber rotation.
Instead, Sorber is still waiting for his first real NBA minutes as his sophomore season begins to take shape.
The path has only gotten tougher during his absence. Oklahoma City has added 7-foot-3 Aday Mara, who arrived with a stronger draft profile and has already been standing out in his first preseason action with the team. That adds another layer to an already crowded frontcourt picture, with Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams all sitting ahead of him on the depth chart.
For Sorber, that means the margin for playing time is razor thin before he has even taken the floor.
None of this is exactly a surprise if you were listening closely at media day. Sorber said then that patience would be part of the process, and that the advice he heard from teammates such as Holmgren and Nikola Topic - both of whom spent their first year sidelined by injury - centered on staying patient and trusting Oklahoma City’s medical staff.
Sorber’s injury history has already been a major part of his early career. He came into the league dealing with turf toe, tore his right ACL during 2025 training camp, and then had a cleanup procedure on that same knee this past July.
For a player who has yet to log a single NBA minute, that is a heavy medical file. And for the Thunder, it means the wait for Sorber’s debut goes on, with no clear end in sight.
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Thunder Offense May Be Unlocking A New Side Of SGA
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The shift is also showing up in how the Thunder handle possessions before they even get into their offense, with other players bringing the ball up more often so Gilgeous-Alexander can move into scoring positions sooner. For a team that has built its identity around adaptability, the next question is how far this adjustment goes once the games count and defenses start keying on the new look. [Read more 🡒]