Oklahoma City

Thunder

Gilgeous-Alexander missed Oklahoma City’s final five games before the All-Star break with an abdominal strain. Thursday’s update means the reigning league MVP will miss at least four more games before he’s re-evaluated. Cason Wallace has taken on a more prominent role in the Thunder rotation, and minutes have also been available for Jared McCain. Wallace is the superior fantasy option and should be rostered in 12-team leagues.

Mitchell is dealing with both an abdominal strain and a left ankle sprain. The 23-year-old guard is set to miss the next week, at which point he’ll be re-evaluated. Jared McCain could see increased playing time in Mitchell’s absence.

Williams is dealing with a right hamstring strain that will keep him sidelined for the next two weeks, at which point he’ll be re-evaluated. Until then Jaylin Williams will continue to see a bump in playing time.

Joe continues to pick up some of the slack with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out. The 26-year-old guard has shown over the last six games that he’s not going to contribute much in the other categories, but he can provide 17 points and three three-pointers every night. Joe will have value as long as this arrangement and his solid play continue.

With Isaiah Hartenstein (injury management) and Jalen Williams (hamstring) ruled out, Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams will slide into the starting lineup Thursday against the Bucks. Joe has averaged 17 points, 3.6 three-pointers and shot 54.5 percent from the field over his last five games.

Hartenstein will get the night off for the second leg of Oklahoma City’s back-to-back set, which means Chet Holmgren should shoulder the load at center. Jaylin Williams will likely see a big bump in playing time, as Jalen Williams is also out.

Mitchell will join multiple teammates on the sideline and extend his streak of absences to 11. He does not have a timeline for return.

J-Dub went off for 28 points in Wednesday’s win over the Suns, but he’ll sit out the second leg of OKC’s back-to-back set. He’s still not playing a full allotment of minutes, so his absence isn’t surprising. Fantasy managers will hope that Williams can use the time off to get healthy for the final stretch of the season.

Joe was the leading scorer for OKC’s bench unit in this game, but it was a group effort to get the big win. Seven players scored in double figures for the Thunder, including five reserves. The bench unit accounted for 74 of OKC’s 136 points, with Joe leading the way in just 18 minutes. Joe is an elite shooter that can have performances like his when he gets the opportunity, but the minutes haven’t been consistent enough for him to be a standard league option.

Williams struggled with his shot on Monday, which was his first game after missing nearly a month with a hamstring injury. However, he was incredibly efficient during his 20 minutes in this game. He only missed one shot in the blowout win. This was the first leg of a back-to-back, so there is certainly a chance that Williams sits out against the Bucks on Thursday, especially after exiting to get his hamstring attended to.