Oklahoma City Thunder Star Out With Grade 2 MCL Sprain

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Wednesday that star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a Grade 2 left MCL sprain and will miss the start of training camp.

Already losing rookie Chet Holmgren, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, to a Lisfranc injury this offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder are now preparing for the 2022-23 NBA season without their star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as well.

On Wednesday, the team announced that Gilgeous-Alexander has a Grade 2 left MCL sprain and that he will be out for the start of training camp. The Thunder also said he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Gilgeous-Alexander, 24, has put together some stellar seasons in recent years in Oklahoma City and was entering the new season as a potential first time All-Star candidate.

In three total seasons with the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 21.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor in a total of 161 games.

Now, the young star faces an uphill battle before the new season even begins, putting his status for the start of the year in jeopardy. Every MCL injury is different and for Gilgeous-Alexander, he will very likely be out a minimum of two weeks with a Grade 2 injury.

Last season Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant suffered a sprained MCL and missed close to two months of action. Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis also dealt with a sprained MCL last season that forced him to miss just about five-and-a-half weeks worth of action.

The Thunder are coming off of a 24-58 season and have now missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2008-09.

Being one of the league’s youngest teams, Oklahoma City has been focused on developing their young core led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a core that will now need to figure things out early on in the season without their two top-tier talents in Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander.

Further updates on Gilgeous-Alexander’s injury and status will be provided by the team at a further date.