Oklahoma City Thunder's Eric Maynor Season Ends with Torn ACL

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost backup point guard Eric Maynor to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. OKC’s general manager Sam Presti said that the injury occurred in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s 98-95 victory against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.

Maynor has been with the Thunder since 2009 when he first entered the league, though he did have a brief stint with Utah Jazz during his rookie season. He was averaging 15.2 minutes and 4.5 points per game this season.

Maynor’s injury leaves the Thunder with rookie Reggie Jackson, out of Boston College, as the backup point guard behind All-Star Russell Westbrook. Jackson is currently averaging only 4.7 minutes per game, though he did have a season high 23 minutes in the 108-96 win against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. Jackson scored 11 points while dishing out 4 assists in the win. 

Behind Jackson is Royal Ivey, who has averaged 3.5 points and 1.1 assists per game during his seven years in the NBA. He has played with the Atlanta Hawks (2004-07), Milwaukee Bucks (2007-08, 2009-10) Philadelphia 76ers (2008-09, 2009-10), and now Oklahoma City.

Russell Westbrook has been averaging over 33.8 minutes per game this season and has been carrying the load at the point, but this injury leaves the Thunder with limited options in the back court. Whether or not the team will make any moves to acquire another asset at the 1-position has yet to be determined.