The Oklahoma City Thunder are hoping to return to the NBA Finals after falling short in the Western Conference Finals last summer. The Thunder felt like they let the San Antonio Spurs off the hook.
For every successful team, the NBA Draft is an important opportunity to add talent. OKC felt it found a steal in the second round of this past draft by trading for Otega Oweh.
“The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired former OU guard Otega Oweh on day two of the 2026 NBA draft on Wednesday. Oweh was selected as the 11th pick in the second round, No. 41 overall, by Miami, but the Heat traded his draft rights to the Thunder in exchange for Louisville guard Ryan Conwell,” OU Daily’s Josh Franklin wrote.
However, in the final preseason game on Tuesday, Oweh unfortunately suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.
“Oweh (Achilles) underwent surgery Wednesday and will miss the entirety of the 2026-27 season, Brandon Rahbar of DailyThunder.com reports. Oweh exited Tuesday's preseason game against the Pacers with a non-contact injury that was later diagnosed as a ruptured right Achilles tendon. The No. 41 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft already faced an uphill battle for playing time on a loaded Thunder roster and will now miss his entire rookie campaign,” CBS Sports wrote.
Oweh's injury continues a trend that no organization wants to experience. Since Chet Holmgren suffered a season-ending injury as a rookie, three of the Thunder's last four rookies have also been ruled out for the season before making their NBA debuts.
“This is the fourth season out of five where a Thunder rookie has been ruled out for the year before debuting. 2022: Chet Holmgren (Lisfranc). 2024: Nikola Topic (ACL). 2025: Thomas Sorber (ACL). 2026: Otega Oweh (Achilles),” The Athletic’s Law Murray wrote.
Obviously, no one could have imagined this when Holmgren suffered his injury in 2022, but it is a strange trend to see, especially for an organization that has become a championship contender. The Thunder seem to have had some bad luck with their rookies, with multiple players missing their entire first seasons before getting a chance to contribute.
Hopefully, this is simply a case of bad luck rather than a recurring issue for the organization. Several of the affected players have since returned and made an impact, and Oweh will hope to do the same next season once he has recovered.
