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Jeremy Lamb and Reggie Jackson Injured; Are the Thunder under an injury curse?

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With only 9 healthy players on opening night, the Thunder running out of options.

Not a photo of Reggie Jackson's current injury, but another previous ankle-related issue.
Not a photo of Reggie Jackson's current injury, but another previous ankle-related issue.
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremy Lamb and Reggie Jackson are questionable for Oklahoma City Thunder's regular season debut on Wednesday against the Blazers due to minor injuries. According to Scott Brooks, Lamb hurt his back and Jackson twisted his right ankle. That said, the Thunder are now left with 9 healthy players in the season opener. Durant, Morrow, and Jerrett are all out with previous injuries.

The Thunder situation keeps getting more concerning due to the injuries. If Lamb and Jackson are sidelined in the Thunder's regular season debut, then the odds of the Thunder being able to beat the Blazers might be zero.

With Durant's and Morrow's absence, Westbrook will obviously go through some offensive pressure. But with Lamb and Jackson also out, the task is even harder.  The bench will be very weak in terms of producing offense, and that applies to the starting line-up as well, since it shorts the team the presence of a player who averages 32 points a game. Besides that, there is no reliable player who can produce a dependable offense in the shooting guard spot, which is what the Thunder needs the most in their current period.

How can the Thunder win? Scott Brooks should be creative in playing the players in their right spots. He also needs to be creative in adjusting the players minutes to have balance the strength and stability of the bench and starting line-up. Moreover, Serge Ibaka and Adams must get involved in the offense and help in removing the offensive pressure from Westbrook. That should be by adding the post presence or even scoring points through lay-ups or close shots. Furthermore, secondary players such as Jones, Thomas, Telfair, and Roberson should really step up offensively as they previously did in the preseason duration with an exception for Roberson.