Feb. 21, 2026, 7:00 p.m. CT
An hour before fans were even allowed into Paycom Center, Thomas Sorber emerged from the locker room tunnel. Strapped with a Catapult chest vest across, the 20-year-old continues to recover from a season-ending torn ACL he sustained in Sept. 2025.
It’s been a grueling five months since Sorber suffered the knee injury. He hasn’t played a competitive basketball game in over a year, as his lone collegiate season at Georgetown was cut short due to foot surgery. The Thunder held off on him suiting up for Summer League because of it.
Taken with the No. 15 pick of the 2025 NBA draft, the Thunder had hoped to see Sorber show enough flashes to make a fully-informed decision on Isaiah Hartenstein’s future. He has a 2026-27 team option OKC must decide on this upcoming offseason.
The hope was that Sorber could serve as Hartenstein’s replacement. But the knee injury knocked that off the table before the Thunder even received their championship rings. Flashforward to post-All-Star break, he’s started to do a little bit more of basketball activities in recent weeks.
Sorber worked out with Thunder assistant Kam Woods. Friday’s pregame warmup before OKC’s 105-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets featured him working on his hip movement and jumper. He also showed off some of his skills as a roll man with a floater.
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You never want to see someone sit through a redshirt season. But the Thunder have sadly grown accustomed to it over the years. Chet Holmgren missed his first season with a Lisfranc injury. Nikola Topic also missed his with a torn ACL.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has been impressed with Sorber’s handling of the situation. Can’t do much else after you suffered the knee injury. All you can do is make the best of a bad situation. To his credit, he’s done that by being around OKC.
“Those recoveries are like stages. You don’t go from surgery and being in bed to playing basketball games. You phase through that. ACL injuries are tough and they take a lot of time, but they’re also very predictable. It’s a very predictable recovery,” Daigneault said. “A lot of people have gone through. A lot of people go through it and are better than they’ve ever been after they fully recover.”
Expect the Thunder’s roster to change this upcoming offseason — regardless of whether they go back-to-back or not. Sorber could have a huge role next season from the jump, depending on how OKC handles some upcoming offseason additions.
“Sorber has done a great job. I’ve been very impressed with him. He’s a young guy. He’s a young professional. He’s on this team. There’s a lot of continuity. Established guys and established professionals,” Daigneault said. “He just does his job. Shows up every day and does what he’s supposed to do. Got a great attitude and working incredibly hard.”