Otega Oweh suffers torn Achilles, will miss rookie season with OKC Thunder

There’s some incredibly unfortunate news to report out of Oklahoma City. On Tuesday night, in a preseason overtime contest against the Indiana Pacers, former Kentucky Wildcats star and current OKC Thunder rookie Otega Oweh went down with an apparent right foot injury, which came on a non-contact play.

Oweh planted, and when he went to explode off his right foot, he collapsed to the floor. He could be seen grabbing at the back of his ankle, suggesting it could be an Achilles injury.

Sadly, the Thunder confirmed that Wednesday evening, announcing Oweh sustained a season-ending Achilles tear. He’s already had surgery to repair the injury.

This setback is a major gut punch for Oweh, who turned 23 in June, just days before being selected 41st overall by Oklahoma City. The former Kentucky star already had a rough start to his pro career, leaving his first-ever summer league game with a left foot injury and not returning to action.

After Tuesday’s game, OKC head coach Mark Daigneault kept it short while acknowledging the seriousness of the situation.

“It’s really tough, really tough. It’s tough for him,” Daigneault told reporters.

Anyone who has followed Oweh’s career knows how crucial his speed, athleticism, and explosiveness are to his effectiveness on the court.

Fingers crossed that Oweh will be back out there chasing his NBA dreams next season. You don’t have to look very hard to realize how gritty of a competitor he is, so there’s no doubt that Oweh will put in the work to rehab this injury.