Oklahoma City Thunder guard Otega Oweh (13) drives to the basket past Indiana Pacers Rienk Mast during the second half at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
In an unfortunate twist, Otega Oweh's first year with the Oklahoma City Thunder ended before it even began, as he suffered an Achilles injury in the preseason.
Oweh sustained it in overtime against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center on Tuesday. He fell to the floor and needed assistance from Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein in exiting the court before going to the locker room.
ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel confirmed what many feared about the rookie guard.
“Thunder rookie Otega Oweh suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon last night against the Pacers and underwent surgery today. He will miss the remainder of the 2026-27 season,” wrote Siegel on X.
The Thunder acquired Oweh in a draft-day trade with the Miami Heat, who drafted him with the No. 41 pick.
The former Kentucky standout averaged 6.75 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in four games in the preseason. He only shot 41.2% from the field.
The brutal development is eerily familiar for Oklahoma City. In 2024, Nikola Topic also sat out his rookie season due to an ACL injury. The Thunder drafted Topic with the No. 12 pick.
The Thunder signed Oweh to a two-way contract. He was not expected to play regularly, as the roster is already stacked in the backcourt with Topic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, and Alex Caruso.
Perhaps Oweh can draw inspiration from Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, all of whom suffered an Achilles injury and worked toward recovery.