Isaiah Joe Ruled Out Monday With Hip Injury As Thunder Face Cavaliers

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be down a key floor spacer to start the week. Isaiah Joe has been officially ruled out for Monday night's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a hip injury, according to Underdog NBA.

When your entire offensive identity revolves around stopping on a dime and launching threes with a hand in your face, a bad hip is a complete dealbreaker. It is the basketball equivalent of a race car trying to run on three tires. You might be able to roll out of the garage, but you are definitely not winning any shootouts.

"Isaiah Joe (hip) listed out Monday. - @UnderdogNBA"

Joe has carved out a highly specific role as a designated marksman for a Thunder squad that currently sits at 4-2 on the young season. He has been averaging 6.5 points in his recent home stretches, which does not sound like prime Michael Jordan, but his pure shooting gravity is what actually matters. Taking him off the floor means Oklahoma City loses one of its most reliable release valves on the perimeter.

For the sickos firing up Monday night player props or setting daily fantasy lineups, this is your cue to pivot. Any tickets banking on Joe to knock down a couple of triples are officially dead. Somebody else on the Thunder bench is going to have to absorb those perimeter minutes, which usually means a usage bump for the rest of the active guards.

The immediate question is how Mark Daigneault patches the hole in the rotation against a tough Cleveland squad. We will see if this hip issue is just a one-night maintenance situation or something that lingers. Oklahoma City turns right around to play these same Cavaliers again on Wednesday, so keep an eye on the injury report before firing any midweek bets.