Thunder’s Top Pick Thomas Sorber Faces Shock Season-Ending Setback—What’s Next for the Rising Star?

The news just came crashing down like an unexpected thunderbolt: Thomas Sorber, Oklahoma City Thunder’s promising No. 15 pick from last summer’s draft, will be sidelined for the entirety of his rookie season following a severe ACL tear that demands surgery. Yeah, it’s a gut punch—not just for Sorber, who’s already been on the mend from a foot injury that curtailed his Georgetown run, but for a Thunder squad juggling its frontcourt future. Sorber, who put up solid numbers—14.5 points and 8.5 boards per game for the Hoyas—was poised to chip in sparingly this year, but the setback reverberates deeper given the team’s financial constraints and looming roster shifts. This marks the third time in four years that OKC’s first-round talent has been benched by a major injury, echoing the missed rookie campaigns of Chet Holmgren and Nikola Topic. While Topic’s comeback sparked some hope this summer, Sorber’s silence this season is a tough pill to swallow for fans and the franchise alike. LEARN MORE

Thomas Sorber, the No. 15 pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder in last June’s NBA Draft, will miss his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL and needing to undergo surgery, the team announced.

Sorber suffered the injury during a workout in Oklahoma City. He did not play at Summer League this year because he was still recovering from a foot injury that ended his season at Georgetown early.

Sorber averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game for the Hoyas during his one season in college. The 6’10” big man would have had a limited role this season on a stacked Oklahoma City team, but this is still a setback in the development of a guy the Thunder are going to lean on for frontcourt minutes in the future (it’s going to be tough for this team to afford to keep Isaiah Hartenstein beyond this season due to the luxury tax and aprons).

This is the third time in four years that Oklahoma City’s top pick will miss his rookie season due to a significant injury. Chet Holmgren missed his rookie season, 2022-23, with a foot injury. Last season, Nikola Topic missed the entire year with an ACL tear similar to Sorbert. Topic recovered and showed some promise playing for the Thunder at Summer League this year.