Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Ruptures Achilles in G League game
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The Thunder announced Wednesday that Sarr sustained a ruptured left Achilles' tendon rupture while playing for the G League's Oklahoma City Blue on Monday in the club's 117-100 win over the Maine Celtics in Game 3 of the G League Finals.
While the Thunder are expected to release an updated return timetable for Sarr in the coming months, he'll need surgery to address the injury and will likely miss a significant chunk of the 2024-25 season. Sarr split time between the NBA and G League this season as a two-way player and would have been ineligible to compete for the Thunder in the playoffs even if he hadn't suffered the significant injury Monday. Sarr is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Goes down with ankle injury
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Sarr left Monday's Game 3 of the G League Finals against the Maine Celtics due to an ankle injury, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.
Sarr was involved in a collision while pursuing a rebound, and he ultimately needed to be carried to the locker room. His return to Monday's clash seems unlikely given the circumstances in which he exited.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Grabs 16 boards in G League
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Sarr logged 10 points (2-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 16 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal across 34 minutes Saturday in the G League Oklahoma City Blue's 112-95 win over the Greensboro Swarm.
Through 15 outings in the G League this season, Sarr -- who is one of the Thunder's three two-way players -- is averaging 13.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 three-pointers in 27.6 minutes per contest.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Records double-double in win
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Sarr logged 17 points (6-14 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 16 rebounds, three blocks and an assist in 27 minutes during Oklahoma City Blue's win over the Memphis Hustle on Friday, Mar. 15.
Sarr had a very strong performance on the boards, leading the team with 16. He was also a key offensive player, scoring 17 points on 14 shots.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Records double-double in win
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Sarr logged 21 points (7-11 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 18 rebounds, two steals, two assists and a block in 34 minutes during Oklahoma City's 120-101 win over Austin on Friday.
Sarr had a very productive effort on Friday, leading the way with 18 rebounds. He was an integral part of the team offensively, scoring 21 points and recording seven offensive rebounds.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Plays garbage-time minutes Sunday
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Sarr (hip) played the final 5:30 of Sunday's 120-104 loss to the Pistons, finishing with zero points (0-1 FG) and one rebound.
Though he was available to play after missing the Thunder's last three games with a right hip strain, Sarr wasn't a part of the rotation while the contest was competitive. He didn't check into the game until after the midway point of the fourth quarter, when the Thunder were trailing by 16 points and had already essentially conceded the win. The two-way player remains behind Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams in the pecking order at center and could be headed to the G League's Oklahoma City Blue in the near future to get more meaningful run.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Good to go against Detroit
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Sarr (hip) isn't on the injury report for Sunday's game versus the Pistons.
Sarr will return to action Sunday after missing the last two contests with a right hip strain. However, Sarr is unlikely to receive significant playing time.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Remains out Wednesday
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Sarr (hip) won't play in Wednesday's game versus the Spurs.
Sarr will miss his second straight game Wednesday due to a right hip flexor strain. His next chance to suit up is Friday's matchup with the Pelicans.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Out Tuesday with hip injury
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Sarr has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Trail Blazers with a right hip flexor strain.
Sarr hasn't seen any game action over the Thunder's last two contests, but he may have sustained the injury while suiting up for the G League's Oklahoma City Blue on Sunday. Despite starting for the Blue, Sarr was lifted after playing just eight minutes in the team's 128-105 win over the Mexico City Capitanes. Sarr is now back with the NBA club and looks set to be evaluated on a game-by-game basis until the Thunder provide further updates on his condition.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Good to go against Portland
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Sarr (illness) isn't on the injury report for Thursday's game versus the Trail Blazers.
Sarr is available Thursday after missing Wednesday's contest with a non-COVID illness. However, Sarr isn't expected to receive significant playing time.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Won't play Wednesday
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Sarr is listed as out for Wednesday's game against the Heat due to an illness.
Sarr isn't part of the Oklahoma City rotation and has made just eight appearances this season.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Records double-double in loss
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Sarr logged 13 points (5-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 12 rebounds and three blocks in 30 minutes during Oklahoma City's 113-114 loss to the South Bay Lakers on Tuesday.
Sarr registered another double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. He was more productive offensively in this game as he made five out of his nine shots.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Decent in spot start
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Sarr recorded 10 points (3-4 FG, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, an assist and two blocks across 25 minutes in Thursday's 118-116 preseason loss to the Pistons.
Sarr was a surprising addition to the starting lineup in the preseason finale, but he delivered a solid outing on both ends of the court. Based on this performance and the fact that Jaylin Williams (hamstring) will open the season on the injured list, Sarr might be part of the Thunder roster on Opening Night. However, he's not expected to play a prominent role off the bench if that's the case, ultimately limiting his fantasy upside.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Will start against Detroit
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Sarr will start Thursday's game against the Pistons, Rylan Stiles of FanSided.com reports.
Head coach Mark Daigneault confirmed the starters well before the 8 PM ET tipoff, and Sarr will replace Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee), though Sarr will play in the frontcourt next to Chet Holmgren. Expect Luguentz Dort and Josh Giddey to handle most of the playmaking duties with the first unit.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Returns to Oklahoma City
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Sarr signed a two-way contract with Oklahoma City on Monday.
Sarr moved between Oklahoma City's parent club and its G League affiliate for most of last season, and he'll rejoin the organization on a deal that will allow him to play a similar role in 2023-24. Over nine appearances with the Thunder last season, he averaged 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Starting Sunday
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Sarr is starting Sunday against Memphis, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman reports.
Sarr has had minimal playing time in recent matchups, totaling just 13 minutes over Oklahoma City's last eight games. However, he'll draw the start in Sunday's regular-season finale since the team is resting several players ahead of the Play-In Tournament.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Starts second half Tuesday
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Sarr finished Tuesday's 101-100 win over the Clippers with four points (1-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, two assists and two blocks across 19 minutes.
After being excluded from the rotation in the Thunder's previous game Sunday against the Suns, Sarr not only drew back into the mix Tuesday, but he actually started the second half over Jaylin Williams, who was dealing with foul trouble. The Thunder's center rotation has been volatile for most of the season, so despite his solid showing Tuesday, Sarr can't be relied upon to take the court in Thursday's rematch with the Clippers. Dario Saric (coach's decision) didn't leave the bench Tuesday, but he had played double-digit minutes each of the past five games and may still be ahead of Sarr in the pecking order.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Solid performance in loss
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Sarr finished with 17 points (7-11 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-3 FT), 10 rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes during Friday's 112-110 loss to the Stars.
After a brief stint with the Thunder, Sarr made his return to the G League, where he dominated by finishing with a double-double on an efficient clip. While with the Blue, expect him to continue to play at a high level as the primary big man.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Gets run in blowout
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Sarr played 11 minutes in Wednesday's 132-101 loss to the Suns, finishing with five points (2-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two rebounds and one block.
Since Oklahoma City was without five players due to injury or rest and the game turned into a blowout by the end of the third quarter, head coach Mark Daigneault was able to empty the bench and get a look at Sarr, who played all but one minute and 11 seconds of the final period. Jaylin Williams and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl both played ahead of Sarr and appear to be the Thunder's preferred options at center, so the second-year big man out of Kentucky looks as though he'll find himself out of the rotation more often than not.
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Thunder's Olivier Sarr: Inks two-way deal with OKC
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Sarr agreed Saturday with the Thunder on a two-way contract, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
Sarr will begin his second stint with the Thunder, as he previously appeared in 22 games with the NBA squad as a rookie in 2021-22 over the course of a pair of 10-day deals before landing a two-way contract. Oklahoma City released Sarr in February, with the 6-foot-11 center ultimately earning a two-way contract with Portland in October before being waived in November after suffering a significant ligament tear in his right wrist. He eventually caught on with the Thunder's G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, with whom he made his season debut Jan. 11. He then proceeded to miss three and a half weeks with an unspecified injury, but he appeared in three games for the Blue over the past week and looks to be back to full strength. Expect Sarr to see most of his action with the Blue moving forward, especially with the Thunder frontcourt drawing closer to full strength with the impending return of Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle) from an extended absence. Sarr has averaged 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.3 assists in 20.9 minutes through his first four G League outings this season.
