An unfortunate trend continued this offseason. For the third time in four years, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be without their top-prized rookie. Thomas Sorber sustained a torn ACL in Sept. 2025 that will knock him out for the entire 2025-26 season.
The Thunder added Sorber with the No. 15 pick of the 2025 NBA draft. Rarely do NBA champions get a chance to add a premium prospect, but they were afforded that luxury by the Miami Heat. Alas, they will have to wait a year before seeing if the 19-year-old is a suitable backup center for the long-term future.
At his 2025-26 preseason press conference, Sam Presti talked about the bad streak of luck the Thunder have had with their recent first-round draft picks. For Sorber, he’ll go roughly a year and a half between games as his collegiate career was cut short at Georgetown due to foot surgery.
“Well, first, obviously super disappointed for Thomas because he spent the whole summer getting himself back and was playing great,” Presti said. “He was playing 5-on-5, was anxiously waiting for the rest of the team to show up. It’s a really tough situation.”
Such a bummer to hear how excited Sorber was to play with the rest of the Thunder. He might not have received a lot of playing time in his rookie season, but he could’ve gained rich knowledge being alongside one of the NBA’s deepest center rooms.
“But he’s got the right mindset. He’s got great energy, natural energy, and buoyancy. We’re bringing back the majority of the team, but there are some new personalities and things of that nature,” Presti said. “He’s got a great energy to him just as a person.”
Sometimes, you have to make lemonade out of sour lemons. The Thunder have gained experience over the last few years with unofficial redshirt seasons. Chet Holmgren missed his first year with a Lisfranc injury and Nikola Topic missed last year with a torn ACL. Expect Sorber to lean on both for their advice.
“He also has the benefit of a couple players that have been in this situation before, Chet and Nikola. So he’s going to get something out of this year, 100 percent,” Presti said. “I think it will position him well going into next season. But certainly disappointing, especially because he had gotten himself to the point where he was playing and playing well.”
While the Thunder should be fine this upcoming season without Sorber, he is set to be a key long-term piece of the future. One of the ways they plan to field a contender is through cheap and young role player talent. Looking at his college tape, he could eventually be the backup center who has traditional size with a dash of skillset.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Sam Presti ‘super disappointed’ for Thomas Sorber after torn ACL
