The Thunder are proving they are ready to defend their title, but there is 1 big question mark

The The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off one of their best seasons in NBA history. Their 68 regular-season wins are tied for fourth all-time, and they capitalized with a win in the NBA Finals. Somehow, they could be even better this year, and they proved why they are favored to repeat as champions in the season opener. It took two overtimes, but the Thunder won their first game against a very good Houston Rockets team that probably had the best offseason in the league after earning the No. 2 seed last season.

Current MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander he got off to a bit of a slow start, but he led his team to victory and hit the game-winning free throws. The rest of the team did what they always do, which is play a winning brand of basketball that perfectly complements their star. Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t the only star in Oklahoma City, however. Jalen Williams is also one of the best players in the NBA, and his injury status is the biggest question mark surrounding the Thunder.

Jaylen Williams and a number of key players have already been ruled out

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Williams and his injury. The All-Star forward had offseason surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist. Reports suggest that he extended time should not be missed, but no one seems to know how bad the injury is. A wrist injury on the shooting guard’s hand should be a concern for the Thunder. Williams was replaced in the starting lineup by Cason Wallace in the first game of the season.

Williams isn’t the only failed player either. In fact, the injuries already start piling up just one game into the season. First round champion Thomas Sorber will miss the entire year with a torn ACL, and Nikola Topić, who missed his entire rookie season last year, will also miss extended time. Topic has recovered from his ACL injury, but is now sidelined with a testicle injury.

Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Joe also missed the first match, the former due to arthroscopic knee surgery, and the latter due to a sprained knee. Deep playoff runs take their toll on teams, and it’s already becoming clear for the Thunder.

Injuries won’t stop the Thunder from repeating as champions

Even with the plethora of injuries the Thunder are dealing with, the team will be fine and should still be viewed as championship favorites. Oklahoma City has never seen depth before because of their perfectly executed rebuild, in which they are still reaping the rewards of capital. Chet Holmgren is a fellow All-Star caliber, and Isaiah Hartenstein, Lou Dort, Alec Caruso, Andrew Wiggins, Jailin Williams and Ajay Mitchell are players who have not yet been mentioned and are solid rotation players.

The Thunder were fine when Holmgren missed extended time last year, and it will be fine if Jalen Williams’ injury this year is more than meets the eye, as long as he’s ready to go at some point this season. The current injury status of the team will allow the reinforcements to step up, which always seems to do under Mark Daign.

The Thunder didn’t even play that great against the Rockets, as evidenced by their 25 percent shooting from deep. This is a team that just knows how to win, whether injuries are prevalent or rebounds are not falling.