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2026-27 NBA News, Injury Updates Nov. 2: Injuries hit Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren in OKC
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- 2026-27 NBA News, Injury Updates Nov. 2: Injuries hit Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren in OKC
Welcome to our weekly Monday Morning NBA notebook, a quick hit of NBA news and injuries from around the league to catch you up on the past seven days. My opinion on the first two weeks of this season? I stand with Jeff Stotts (of InStreetClothes.com).
Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren all out for OKC
This was simply as bad a week as a team can have.
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Jalen Williams suffered a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula from a fall last Sunday against the Clippers. "This is an injury that generally we see more in football players," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. In that same game, starting guard Cason Wallace left with a shoulder injury that turned out to be a torn labrum in his left shoulder, which will also require surgery. While the Thunder will not put a timeline on either player, it's unlikely either of them plays again this season.
Later in the week, the Thunder announced that Chet Holmgren underwent a "biological treatment today to address a small patellar tendon tear" and will be out 8-10 weeks. That likely puts his return around New Year's or in the first couple of weeks of 2027. (If you're wondering what a "biological treatment" is, a league source suggested it's platelet-rich plasma, PRP, therapy.)
While Holmgren will return, the injuries to Williams and Wallace diminish their title chances. Oklahoma City will still be very good behind two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a deep roster. However, they go from a playoff team that can beat anyone regardless of style to one that will be more matchup-dependent (how do they stop elite wings such as Anthony Edwards or Luka Doncic in the West without Williams or Lu Dort, whom they traded away this summer for financial reasons).
What you shouldn't expect is Presti and OKC to panic into a trade to "fix" things. That's not how Presti operates, and he's been in this job 19 years he's not at risk of getting fired. The Thunder will go forward, see what their team looks like, who is reasonably available, then make a call.
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Anthony Edwards has knee scoped
Minnesota's Anthony Edwards underwent arthroscopic surgery on his ailing right knee and that could sideline him up to two months. Which sucks, Edwards had played at an MVP level to start the season, averaging 33.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 40% from 3-point range.
The positive spin for Timberwolves fans is that this is a proactive move by Edwards and the team: Get the work done now, have him back and healthy around Christmas, or heading into 2027. Looking at the landscape of the West this is a team with sky-high expectations but it needs that MVP-level Edwards to get there.
In the short term, Minnesota needs more of the Charlotte version of LaMelo Ball: One who takes on a larger scoring load and lifts up teammates. So far, Minnesota is 1-2 since Edwards went out.
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Ja Morant out with hamstring
Portland — and how well the Ja Morant and Damian Lillard backcourt was clicking — was one of the early-season stories. This news just threw cold water on it.
Morant left his return to Memphis early and the next day came the news that he would be out at least a month with a strained hamstring. Expect Jrue Holiday to move into the starting five, but the real guy to watch is Scoot Henderson, who is going to get a real chance after starting the season coming off the bench and not looking sharp (7.5 points per game on 34.4% shooting)
Morant looked the best he has in years to start the season, averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 58.8% overall and 44.4% from beyond the arc. He had a more mature game.
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Kawhi Leonard out with knee swelling
The timing of this sucks: Kawhi Leonard will miss his one game this season at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles against the Clippers.
Leonard is out due to swelling in his left knee and will be re-evaluated later this week, the team announced last week. Toronto said in its release that Leonard "will undergo a treatment and rehabilitation program to address swelling in his left knee. Medical imaging revealed no acute injury." Leonard said this on social media.
The reality is the Raptors knew what they were signing up for when they traded for Leonard, that he would miss time and there would be load management. Expect Leonard to miss a couple of weeks as the Raptors will keep him in bubble wrap this season.
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Tyrese Haliburton injury
After missing so much of last season, it's been great to see Tyrese Haliburton back on the court — except now we won't see him for at least a couple of weeks due to a left hamstring strain.
This is trouble for the Pacers, who are getting outscored by 10.4 points per 100 possessions when Haliburton is off the court this season, and they are now 0-3 since he went out after falling to previously winless Brooklyn on Sunday.
Jaren Jackson Jr. injury
It's been a rough start to the season in Utah and this just piles on top of it: Jaren Jackson Jr. is out with a torn MCL in his right knee. The good news is that it doesn't require surgery. Utah says Jackson Jr. will be reevaluated in six weeks but expect him to miss closer to eight weeks,
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Utah was going to roll out a big front line this season with Jusuf Nurkic, Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen. Except we haven't seen it. Nurkic has yet to play due to a partial plantar plate tear in the second toe of his right foot, and now JJJ is out until Christmas or later.
Jalen Suggs out with knee bone bruise
Already without Paolo Banchero, more bad injury news for Orlando with the news guard Jalen Suggs is out with a right knee bone bruise and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The good news is an MRI revealed no other structural damage.
Sean Sweeney, welcome to coaching Orlando.
Other news and notes
• It's the end of an era. After 37 years, beloved host Ernie Johnson is stepping away from "Inside the NBA" after this season, he announced on X.
• We aren't done with the injury news: The Washington Wizards announced that forward Justin Champagnie underwent a surgical procedure to repair a fracture in his right foot, something he suffered during last week's game against Charlotte.
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• Former NBA player Malik Beasley, who was indicted earlier this year for federal gambling crimes, will be changing his plea to guilty. Beasley was charged with manipulating his play in four games while he was with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023-24 season to help him pay off a loan after falling into debt
• Philadelphia applied for a disabled player exception due to Ariel Hukporti's season-ending Achilles tear. It's not much, it's just a $1.7 million exception (half of Hukporti's salary this season), but it's something they might use.
• Hall of Famer Paul Pierce is claiming he is "tapped out" financially in court documents in a case about support payments to an ex-girlfriend and the mother of one of his children.
