Thunder rookie Thomas Sorber has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee, which he sustained during an offseason workout on Thursday, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link). The team announced in a press release that Sorber will miss the entire 2025/26 season while he recovers from the injury.
Sorber averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game during his one-and-done season at Georgetown before a left foot injury that required surgery caused him to miss the latter part of 2024/25.
The Thunder selected Sorber 15th overall in the 2025 draft. The big man will become the second straight Oklahoma City first-round pick to miss his rookie year, after last season’s 12th overall pick, Nikola Topic, missed his debut season with an ACL injury of his own.
With the Thunder’s extensions for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams signed, Sorber was expected to play a part in determining the future of the big man rotation and Isaiah Hartenstein‘s long-term status with the team.
The Thunder will now have to wait another season to see what he can provide them on the floor, though they have plenty of on-court insurance this season in Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams.
Long history of big men with knee problems.
A modern day patient
Lean lean stride
Todays tom Sorber
Injured guy
what you say about his injury
Is what you say about soceity..
Doc Rivers!
Lmao
Took Topic’s spot. Maybe that means they repeat if you are superstitious. Or trading Jones who you traded alot for and not letting Jaylin Williams walk n changing coaches so that means they don’t repeat.
Sorber needs to come back and develop as a PF/C and not a C/PF
Hate to go there buuut: seems fishy doing this 2 years in a row. Does this (or Topics injury) affect their salary cap? Seems like they are doing this on purpose to stash rookies who aren’t going to be seeing much playing time on a contender anyway…just thinking out loud here…
Regardless of Topic, seems pretty unlikely that kind of thinking was involved with Sorber given his injury just happened yesterday.
You are likely right, I am just putting it out there as a “maybe” – I am not standing behind this take as a “truth” or anything, just something we should all go over to make sure everything is just odd luck, nothing untoward.
Yeah I gotchu. Regardless of intent, this sorber development is typical OKC slow-burning , lol. I’m sure both he and Topic will go from DNPs to instant contributors for them.
DaveJ, bet OKC has a secret program where they tear ACLs just to send them to surgery and miss a year. I bet that’s what it is, right?
You feel like a big man after writing that? I already stated how much I myself believe in this theory. Its one we should at least examine, no?
Stop talking anytime, if all you do is come here to reply to me. You are not necessary.
Sorber was a great pick for Thunder. Sucks man …
Just get healthy player. Terrible way to start your career.
Just like last year …. this is a good sign for OKC’s title defense.
Recover well kid.
The NBA has become so WWE, with these fake injuries and scripts.
Last 3 Thunder draft picks
Chet Holmgren out for a year
Alex Topic out for a year
Thomas Sorber now out for a year
They only knew about Topic. Holmgren and Sorber were both offseason injuries and torn legs aren’t fake injuries.
You’re going off of what the media said, teams lie about their players injuries all the team, it’s a business!
They have zero reason to lie about the injury. He is a rookie who likely would have had limited to no real minutes for them. He would have been on the Blue at times.
Holmgren injuries happen in the Rec league games and no one goes through surgery for fun.
Assuming you’re not trolling, what good would it do for the player to sit out for a year with a “fake injury”? It surely wouldn’t be conducive to long-term success.
Honestly, do you people put any depth of thought into these things before making up inane conspiracy theories?
Shame since he will miss out on the physical developing. He will just have to train his mind by being involved on the sideline. They were not going to use him much when playoffs came. He likely would have logged minutes vs bottom feeding teams when they rest starters.
As a fan, I’m uncomfortable with OKC dominating the league for the next 6 seasons, but I love that they succeed by drafting and developing.
So, I’m really pulling for Sorber to fully recover soon.