The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2025-26 regular season as the reigning NBA champions. Fresh off one of the greatest years ever, it’ll be quite the feat to follow up on what they accomplished. They had a historic 68-14 record and brought home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Celebrating their NBA championship, the Thunder made quick work of their offseason tasks. They signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to contract extensions. That should keep OKC in the title picture for the foreseeable future.

To prepare for the 2025-26 regular season, Thunder Wire will break down all five positional groups. Here’s what they have to look forward to from their power forward position:

Starter: Chet Holmgren

Dealing with another injury-plagued season, Holmgren salvaged it with a strong playoff run and ring. Even though he’s only played in half of his available time, the Thunder have full confidence behind the 23-year-old. They signed him to a contract extension that shows they believe he has an All-Star leap left. That’s a solid bet to make, considering how he looked like he was on his way there before he sustained a season-altering hip fracture last year.

Everybody knows what Holmgren adds on defense. He’s one of the best rim protectors who notches up several blocks. The Thunder were the league’s best defense because of his interior presence. You saw him make strides on the other end. The seven-footer tightened his handle to attack the basket and draw free throws. He was also a quality outside shooter. If he can average around 15-plus points, he should flirt with being a first-time All-Star.

Depth behind Holmgren

The Thunder don’t really have a traditional backup at this spot, per se. Instead, Holmgren has played out of position at the four since Isaiah Hartenstein joined. They relied on their double-big lineup to bring home an NBA championship, as they played together more often in the playoffs than in the regular season.

The only real candidate here is Brooks Barnhizer. The two-way rookie won’t see much action. The Thunder added him with the No. 44 pick of the 2025 NBA draft. He’s a bit undersized and must learn to shoot from the outside, but there are no other viable candidates that could play power forward. Instead, OKC is loaded at the small forward and center spots.