Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is listed as day-to-day with a rest issue on the Thunder's Saturday injury report. His expected return date of Oct. 13 falls a day after Oklahoma City's preseason game at the Hawks, putting his availability for that game in doubt.
What happened
The Thunder listed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as day-to-day on the injury report issued Saturday, Oct. 10 at 3:28 p.m. ET, with the issue described as rest. No previous status was attached to this entry, though he had been day-to-day for a non-injury reason on Oct. 5 before being cleared on Oct. 7. The report noted his performance in Wednesday's preseason game, a 128-126 loss to the Bucks, in which he scored 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three and 4-of-4 from the line, with three rebounds, five assists and a block in 18 minutes. His expected return is listed as Oct. 13.
What it means for the Thunder
Oklahoma City is at the Hawks on Monday, Oct. 12 at 7:00 p.m. ET, and Gilgeous-Alexander's Oct. 13 expected return date suggests he will sit that one out. Last season he averaged 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 33.2 minutes across 68 games, production the Thunder cannot simply replace with one player. In recent games without him, Chet Holmgren played 29.0 minutes and scored 17.1 points, Jalen Williams played 28.4 minutes and scored 17.1 points, and Ajay Mitchell played 25.8 minutes and scored 13.6 points, among others picking up extra minutes. The 2026-27 season has not started, so there is no record with or without him yet.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Gilgeous-Alexander is available for the Oct. 12 game at the Hawks. His expected return is listed as Oct. 13, one day after that game. He was not alone on Saturday's report: nine other Thunder players, including Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, were also listed as day-to-day, most of them for rest.
Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing at the Hawks on Oct. 12?
He is listed as day-to-day with a rest issue, and his expected return date of Oct. 13 falls the day after the Hawks game, suggesting he will not play.
When will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander be back?
His expected return is listed as Oct. 13.