Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was diagnosed with a “significant tear” in his plantar fascia, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. According to Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, the injury is not something to mess with.
Daigneault: "It's not something that you should really mess around with. If we got aggressive with him, it could compromise him long term, which makes no sense for us for a player that is as important to our franchise as he is."
— Joe Mussatto (@joe_mussatto) May 4, 2021
Daigneault added that if they rush SGA, the current injury could lead to something even worse long term. With that said, the Thunder are doing their part in getting SGA as healthy as possible–even it means being patient.
Before getting hurt, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists. The Thunder currently have the third-worst record in the Western Conference.
If there’s something for Thunder fans to smile about, it’s definitely the growth of SGA this season. He has developed as a scorer and has become a reliable option on offense. NBA Fantasy owners were quite happy to pick him up at first as he delivered remarkable stats. OKC could potentially have a bright future ahead if they continue to build around SGA and his teammates like Lu Dort and Darius Bazley.
As for SGA, his injury is similar to what Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic experienced in last season’s Finals. However, SGA’s case seems to be a little more worse since it’s diagnosed with a significant tear. There’s still no clear timetable for his recovery, but it seems likely that he’ll be out for the remainder of the season.
Moreover, the Thunder have a ton of draft picks moving forward. They have a total of 24 draft picks from the 2021 through 2027 drafts. Seventeen of those picks are first-rounders and 17 are second-rounders.
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