With a 125-114 win over Phoenix on Monday, the Thunder became the first NBA team to improve to 4-0 to open the 2026/27 season (they were joined later in the night by Houston and Memphis). But it seems safe to assume the team wasn’t exactly in a celebratory mood after word broke earlier in the day that Jalen Williams (fractured fibula / dislocated ankle) and Cason Wallace (torn labrum) are facing long-term injury absences.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, the injuries – especially Williams’, the more likely of the two to be a season-ender – could significantly change the shape of the Western Conference, which looked a week or two ago like it might be a two-team race between Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

While the Thunder were able to bounce back during the 2024/25 season when Chet Holmgren suffered a broken pelvic bone in early November and missed a major chunk of the season, the team was able to win a title that year in large part because Holmgren was able to return to action and play a key role in the playoffs. That may not be the case for Williams, Hollinger observes.

Here’s more on the Thunder:

• Oklahoma City’s injury issues went from bad to worse on Monday as guard Alex Caruso – a key candidate to play increased minutes with Williams and Wallace out – exited the game in the first half and was ruled out for the night due to a right ankle sprain (story via ESPN). It’s not yet known whether the injury will cause Caruso to miss time, but guards Ajay Mitchell (30 points) and Jared McCain (18 points) came up big in his absence, with rookie Bennett Stirtz also seeing 25 minutes of action.
• The Thunder were missing Holmgren on Monday too. He was ruled out for the contest due to right patellar tendinitis, as Rylan Stiles of SI.com notes (via Twitter).
• In addition to Mitchell and Stirtz, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman identifies veteran wing Kenrich Williams as a player who will need to step up with Jalen Williams and Wallace on the shelf. After playing no more than 7:20 in any of the Thunder’s first three regular season game, Kenrich Williams was inserted into the starting lineup and logged 24 minutes on Monday.
• ESPN’s Zach Kram and Bobby Marks explore the holes the injuries have created in the Thunder’s rotation and consider how much flexibility they have to potentially add reinforcements. Although acquiring a player via free agency or trade would increase Oklahoma City’s projected luxury tax bill, the team does have an open 15-man roster spot and has the taxpayer mid-level exception and multiple trade exceptions available to potentially accommodate a move. Using the taxpayer MLE would hard-cap the club at the second tax apron, but the Thunder could exceed the second apron using one of the TPEs or a disabled player exception, if they’re granted one for Williams.