The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be without their 2025 first-round pick this season. Thomas Sorber, who the Thunder selected at No. 15 overall, suffered a torn right ACL during an offseason workout and will miss the entire season, the team announced on Friday. Sorber was a standout at Georgetown where he averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds as a freshman.
Sorber didn’t play in summer league as he was recovering from surgery he had in February to address turf toe. And while he wasn’t expected to get major minutes with the defending champions given their seemingly endless depth, he was expected to be someone who could develop into an important role player in Year 2 or Year 3. Now, though, that development will be put on pause as he recovers from yet another surgery.
Sorber ideally would’ve been a replacement for big man Isaiah Hartenstein as early as the 2026-27 season if OKC declined Hartenstein’s $28.5 million team option. If the Thunder pick up Hartenstein’s team option, he would then become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2028.
This marks the third time in four years that the Thunder will be without their first-round pick for their rookie season. Chet Holmgren, who was taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, missed his first year due to a Lisfranc injury he suffered during a Pro-am game that summer. In 2024, Nikola Topić missed his rookie season, also due to a torn left ACL.
It’s a rather unprecedented situation to have happen, though fortunately the Thunder haven’t suffered much as a result. Holmgren’s been as advertised despite missing his first year, and was essential in helping OKC win its first title since relocating from Seattle. Topić will suit up for the first time this season, and while he’s still very much a project, he showed flashes of being a valuable piece for OKC in summer league where he averaged 11 points and 7.3 assists in three games. It’s a small sample size, but it’s a promising starting point for the Serbian guard.
For Sorber, the hope is that he can make a full recovery so he can become a long-term piece for the Thunder in the near future. And while the timing is awful and the injury is unfortunate, the Thunder are in a unique situation where they can afford to be patient with the young big man.
