Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the face of a young, rising Oklahoma City Thunder team in the Western Conference due to the fact that he is a real MVP candidate for them. After making the All-NBA First Team last season, SGA has started the 2023-24 season slow on the offensive side of things for his standards, averaging 24.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game.

Nonetheless, the All-Star guard still ranks 15th in the league in scoring and eighth in total points scored. His presence cannot be replaced or replicated by the Thunder, which is why Gilgeous-Alexander is so important to their overall success. However, Oklahoma City is going to need to devise a new plan of attack against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night since Shai will not be available for this game.

On Thursday, Thunder head coach Mark Daignealt addressed the media and stated that Gilgeous-Alexander will miss Friday's game against Golden State due to a left knee sprain, via Thunder beat writer Brandon Rahbar. No timeframe was given, as the Thunder are approaching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's injury as day-to-day.

In Wednesday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, SGA appeared to roll his left ankle and while he did not leave the game, the star guard was favoring his left leg throughout the second half. After losing to the Pelicans, Daignealt claimed that he thought Gilgeous-Alexander has hyperextended his knee rather than injure his ankle.

While Thunder fans and the team would like their star to be out there on the court in the team's first ever in-season tournament game on Friday night, the good news is that Gilgeous-Alexander's injury is not too serious.

Following Friday night's game in Oklahoma City, the Thunder will not play again until Monday night, giving SGA more time to rest up and heal. Due to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's injury, Josh Giddey figures to be the team's lead ball-handler with Isaiah Joe and rookie Cason Wallace expected to see their minutes increase.