Jan 2, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) laughs on the bench during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn ImagesClemente Almanza, OKC Thunder WireFri, February 6, 2026 at 1:30 AM UTC·3 min readIn a regular season plagued with injuries, the Oklahoma City Thunder received their biggest hit yet. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss at least five games as an abdominal strain will sideline him through the NBA All-Star break before he's re-evaluated.
Despite juggling injuries, the Thunder have sat atop the NBA standings because of Gilgeous-Alexander's unreal durability. But now that he's out for the next handful of games, that puts OKC in uncharted territory. Of all the guys on the roster, he's the one you can't afford to miss.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGilgeous-Alexander has had an MVP-esque season. He's on his way to a second straight award. He's averaged 31.8 points on 55.4% shooting, 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds.
The Thunder are off to a 0-1 start to this mini-stretch with a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. They will host the Houston Rockets, travel to the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns and then return home to the Milwaukee Bucks before the All-Star break arrives.
Let's look at four ways the Thunder can survive this stretch as you hope Gilgeous-Alexander can return three weeks from now:
Holmgren & Williams return
This is the easiest answer. There's no one-for-one replacement of a reigning MVP, but Holmgren and Williams should be enough star power to at least be middling. Both are All-Star players who've shown they can get 20-plus points in their own ways. The real question is how viable this option is.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementESPN recently said that Holmgren and Williams are considered day-to-day. And the latter could even return sooner than anticipated from a hamstring strain. Holmgren should be good to go by Saturday as he's enjoyed a healthy campaign. And if Williams can return before the All-Star break, that'll be a huge plus. He's missed nearly three weeks since he initially sustained the injury.
McCain helps from jump
Moments before the Thunder announced Gilgeous-Alexander's absence, they acquired Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers. The buy-low move gives them a chance to add a borderline lottery talent whose hot start to his career was hampered by a torn meniscus and thumb.
Maybe it's asking too much to ask of McCain to slide into the starting lineup from the jump — especially considering how little he's played this season. But depending on who else is out, the Thunder could desperately need the bucket-getter and movement shooter. Regardless of what the on-court results are.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMitchell makes surprise return
Also sidelined with an abdominal strain, Mitchell has missed over two weeks with the injury. That kinda previews just how long Gilgeous-Alexander might be out for — if you're trying to ballpark a return. We'll see where he is for these upcoming four games. Just from seeing the home shootarounds and practices, he feels farther away.
But if Mitchell can return before the All-Star break, that'll be a pleasant surprise. He's made the biggest leap this season. His importance has only increased as the season has progressed. The 14-point scorer has been the perfect complementary scorer besides Gilgeous-Alexander. He's shown he can uptick his volume when needed.
Lean on league-best defense
Sometimes, the best offense is your defense. Or something like that. The Thunder have had the league-best defense for two straight seasons now. That's the side of the ball they've leaned on to bring home their first NBA championship last season. This year, it's been mostly the same story as they sit atop most defensive statistical categories again.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe halfcourt offense might get ugly — especially depending on who's in and out — but the defense has mostly played well. That gives the Thunder some wiggle room on the other end of the floor. They don't need to be a 40% outside shooting squad to get wins. If they can ugly up games and keep it low scoring, that should at least give them a shot on most nights.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: How OKC Thunder can survive Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's absence
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