OKC Thunder Stars Earning Western Conference Player of Week Nomination

The Oklahoma City Thunder turned in a 3-1 week after rising star Chet Holmgren went out with a hip injury. The Thunder saw thier stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams step up in a big way, earning Player of the Week nominations.

Nov 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Jalen Williams (8) talk during a time out against the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder saw devestating news last Sunday against the Golden State Warriors. Rising star Chet Holmgren challenged the slashing Andrew Wiggins at the rim and as the two met, Holmgren fell hard landing on his hip.

After the game, as the clock turned to Monday, the team announced Holmgren suffered a fracture in his hip. This injury will sideline him for a massive chunk of the NBA regular season but the team did say they expect the seven footer to return to the lineup during the 2024-25 campaign.

Still down Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams to boot, panic set up regarding the OKC Thunder. Though, the Bricktown ballers were able to turn to their superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and rising star Jalen Williams to carry them to a near perfect week.

In the final four games of a six game home stand, the Thunder ripped off three straight wins before falling to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. This was in large part due to the scoring efforts from the Thunder duo. To include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander going for a career-best 45 points a week ago.

There performance in that stretch earned each of them a nod as a Western Conference Player of the Week nominee. This is an achievement Gilgeous-Alexander has met all season but Williams' first nomination. This is already the second time this season Oklahoma City has turned in two nominees with Holmgren put up for the award after week one.

The two fell just short of the award as the NBA issued the honor to Sacrmento Kings star De'Aaron Fox. The Kentucky product averaged a jaw-dropping 40.5 points and 7.3 assists per game while he shot 57 percent from the floor.

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