With OKC Thunder injury woes, there are no answers right now. And that's OK

HOUSTON — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scratched at his braids, shook his head and exhaled.The superstar guard was asked Saturday night what his OKC Thundercan control following an unpredictable, unprecedented wave of injuries. A true nightmare that began well before the team's 119-98 road loss to Houston on Halloween.If anyone could deliver the right response, it was him. He's the man who has an answer for everything a defense throws at him, after all. The man who has a way of words, conjuring witty Instagram captions that even his close friend Drake would envy.But for the first time, he had nothing."I don't know," Gilgeous-Alexander finally said while shrugging his shoulders after the blowout loss. "I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. We have some figuring out to do, for sure. A lot of it. But I don't have an answer for you right now."More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, injury-shortened OKC Thunder fall to red-hot Houston RocketsGilgeous-Alexander forced a smile at the end of that response, but it didn't stay up for long. The emotional heaviness of this week quickly dragged it back down.OKC was 2-0 when the sun came up last Sunday, and its future was equally bright. It had beaten two fellow championship contenders in San Antonio and Denver to start the season, and it was about to host the Los Angeles Clippers that night.But Cason Wallace exited the first quarter of that game with a torn labral in his left shoulder. Jalen Williams then had to be stretchered off the court in the fourth quarter after suffering a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle on the left side. And while Chet Holmgren played until the final buzzer, he experienced mild discomfort in his right knee.Wallace and Williams have since undergone successful surgeries. Both guys will be re-evaluated prior to the end of this regular season. Holmgren has since had successful biological treatment to address a small patellar tendon tear. He's expected to return to play in 8-10 weeks.That's three former All-Defensive players lost in just one day, for those who've turned this into a drinking game at home. Not out of entertainment but out of necessity. And that total became four the following night in a win over Phoenix, as Alex Caruso sustained a sprained right ankle that still has him sidelined.Fast forward to Saturday night, and OKC is now 4-2. It has lost its last two games to Dallas and Houston by a combined 45 points. And the group is clearly hurting, not from the scores of those defeats but from the situation."For me personally, I just feel bad for everybody," Thunder forward Jaylin Williams said. "I understand what it takes in the summer, what it takes throughout the whole year, to get ready for the season. The hours, the extra time that you put in. The dedication away from your family and away from your friends. Eating well the whole summer and things like that. "To see those guys put in all of that work throughout the summer to be healthy and be here for us, for the team and for the state of Oklahoma, and have get put to the side, I just feel bad for them."More: OKC Thunder no longer signing Ochai Agbaji after Chet Holmgren injury newsEven the glimmers of good moments on Saturday felt duller than they should've.Jared McCain stole the ball late in the first quarter and found a trailing Gilgeous-Alexander on the ensuing fastbreak for an easy layup. Wallace would've usually been somewhere holding out his hands to mimic the Allstate logo, his signature celebration, but he didn't make the trip.Jaylin Williams barreled into the lane midway through the third quarter and posterized Alperen Sengun with a two-handed dunk before hanging on the rim. It's a play that surely would've received a thumbs up from Jalen Williams, who likes to judge his teammates' slams, but he wasn't in attendance either.It made for an uncomfortable watch, and that carried over to Gilgeous-Alexander's postgame interview. All 100 seconds of it. He didn't look like someone who was defeated, just someone who was tired of talking about everything his team has lost.Gilgeous-Alexander could’ve talked about how even his wizardry with the ball can't magically make up for the absence of Jalen Williams, OKC's second scoring option, and others. He scored 26 points against Houston on 10-for-20 shooting from the field (3 for 6 from deep), sometimes escaping from triple teams in the process.Gilgeous-Alexander could’ve talked about how it's harder to make defensive stands when your top four defenders are seated. The Rockets shot 45.6% from the field and 43.9% from deep against the Thunder.Gilgeous-Alexander could’ve talked about how OKC's daunting strength of schedule comes at a time when it's at its weakest. Its next six games — Cleveland (twice), Memphis, Washington and Portland (twice) — are against teams with a combined record of 25-9.And Gilgeous-Alexander could’ve talked about how it’s impossible to find immediate answers when there are so many variables to the equation. Five of OKC's 11 available players at the moment are either a rookie or a two-way guy, and familiar faces such as Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe were subtracted this summer.But Gilgeous-Alexander just kept his interview short instead, and maybe that's for the best. Some things are better left unsaid.Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: With OKC Thunder injury woes, there are no answers right now. And that's OK