Oklahoma City Thunder’s Promising Rookie Faces Devastating Setback Before Debut Season

You know, when you hear a promising young player like Thomas Sorber is sidelined before he even laces up his sneakers for the Oklahoma City Thunder, it stings a bit. Sorber, drafted 15th overall in 2025 after one solid season at Georgetown, was eager to show what he could do. But a tough blow — a torn ACL during offseason training — means he won’t make his Thunder debut until fall 2026 at the earliest. At just 19, this setback might feel like a giant boulder on his path, especially considering the depth the Thunder already boast at the forward positions with talents like Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren firmly in place. Still, if history’s any guide, Sorber’s story is one of resilience. The Thunder organization has seen first-round rookies hampered by injuries before, yet they’ve managed to stay hungry and push through. My gut tells me Sorber’s no different — he’s got the chops to eventually step into a significant role, perhaps even as a successor to players like Hartenstein. It’s a waiting game now, but for fans and the kid alike, hope and grit are still very much alive. LEARN MORE

Thomas Sorber’s Oklahoma City Thunder debut won’t come until the fall of 2026 at the earliest.

The Thunder announced Friday that Sorber had suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during an offseason workout and would miss the 2025-26 season.

Sorber, 19, was selected with the No. 15 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after spending one season at Georgetown. The forward averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 2024-25.

It was likely that Sorber would have split time between the Thunder and their G-League affiliate over the course of the upcoming season given the defending NBA champions’ glut at their two forward spots. The Thunder have Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren entrenched in the starting lineup, with Kenrich Williams and Jaylin Williams playing key roles off the bench.

Hartenstein was signed before the 2024-25 season to a two-year deal with a team option for the 2026-27 season and it’s easy to see Sorber as a potential Hartenstein replacement in the future. Hartenstein shot 58% from the field and averaged 14 points and 14 rebounds a game over 57 regular-season games in 2025-26.

Sorber is also the third recent Oklahoma City first-round pick to miss his rookie season with an injury. Holmgren suffered a broken foot after the Thunder drafted him at No. 2 overall in 2022 and didn’t play until the 2023-24 season. The Thunder selected Serbian guard Nikola Topić with the 12th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft but Topić didn’t play a single game last season after suffering a partially torn ACL in January of 2024.

Topić made his unofficial Thunder debut during Summer League and scored 33 points across three games.