Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Injury: Will Thunder Guard Miss Start of 2022-23 Season?

The Thunder announced on Wednesday afternoon that star combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee. 

The 24-year-old will likely miss the beginning of the regular season but return in early November fully healed, according to our team of Pro Basketball Docs. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Injury Update

Most MCL injuries don't require surgery and the recovery timeline hinges on the severity of the ligament tear. 

What can also play into his timeline is how and when he suffered the injury, since it happened during the off-season.

He sprained his knee working out recently, according to Sam Presti, who said during Thursday's media day that the injury “just happened” and he didn't have a clear idea of when Gilgeous-Alexander will return. 

Oklahoma City – which already lost No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren for the season with a Lisfranc injury – has historically been cautious with its all-star guard and other key players during the recent run of development-focused seasons. 

Gilgeous-Alexander missed 21 of the final 34 games last season after suffering a low-inversion ankle sprain on January. The Thunder shut him down on March 28 with ankle soreness after averaging 24.5 points, five rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 56 games. 

Even after a miserbale 3-23 stretch in his final 26 games, the Thunder's are 75-86 when Gilgeous-Alexander plays (46.6%) and 15-50 without him (23.1%) since he was traded for Paul George in 2019.