Enes Kanter to Miss 6-8 Weeks With Broken Forearm

The Oklahoma City Thunder came away with a 109-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, but it was a costly victory. Talented forward Enes Kanter sustained a broken right forearm after slamming his hand into a bench chair in frustration during the second quarter. The folding chair flipped up upon impact with a metal edge catching Kanter directly in the arm.

Out 6-8 Weeks?

The Thunder are set to re-evaluate Kanter on Friday and give an update on his long-term status. However, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported early in the morning that Kanter is going to be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks with the injury.

Kanter was seen on the bench favoring his right forearm before exiting for the locker room shortly thereafter. He underwent X-rays that revealed the fracture.

ESPN reported that Kanter left the arena with a wrap around his right wrist.

OKC Will Miss Kanter

This is a significant blow to a Thunder team that needs all the help it can get around Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is currently averaging a triple-double on the season, but much of OKC’s surprisingly solid play this season has been a result of stellar play from their role players.

Kanter has been a major part of that. He is averaging about 14 points and seven rebounds in just 21 minutes per game off the bench, but head coach Billy Donovan had recently ramped-up Kanter’s workload. In 13 January games, Kanter averaged over 24 minutes per game and had cracked the 30-minute barrier on several occasions.

Oklahoma City will now have to revamp a bench unit that so heavily leaned on Kanter for scoring. ESPN’s Royce Young surmises that backup point guard Cameron Payne will now see a bump in usage with Kanter sidelined.

It likely also means even more offensive responsibility for Westbrook, who already contributes 31 points and better than 10 assists per game.

Oklahoma City’s Playoff Push

Even without Kanter, the Thunder appear to be close to a lock to make the playoffs out West. They are 28-19 after the win over the Mavs on Thursday, which is good for the No. 6 seed in the conference. They hold a healthy seven-game lead over the Denver Nuggets for the No. 8 spot, and an eight-game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers, who currently sit ninth.

OKC is currently riding a three-game win streak after victories over the Jazz, Pelicans and Mavericks. The schedule is about to get quite a bit more difficult, though. They are about to embark on a two-game road swing that will take them through Cleveland and San Antonio before returning home to face the Chicago Bulls, Memphis Grizzlies and Trail Blazers.

Kanter’s Background

Kanter is currently in the midst of his seventh NBA season and second full year as a member of the Thunder. He was drafted No. 3 overall by Utah in the 2011 draft and signed a four-year, $70 million deal with Oklahoma City in the summer of 2015. Kanter is OKC’s second-highest paid player behind Westbrook.