The way in which Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talked about Chet Holmgren at OKC Thunder media day on Monday should send shivers down the spine of any team hoping to topple the Thunder this season.
“I think everyone in the world that watches basketball can see that Chet isn’t even a fraction of the player he’s going to be,” SGA said. “He’s missed so many games. And on the biggest stage and in the biggest game of basketball possible, he has five or whatever blocks and completely changes the game.”
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Five blocks, 18 points and eight rebounds for Holmgren in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
And I’m with Shai. We’ve only seen a glimpse of the player Holmgren could become.
Holmgren is the most intriguing player on the Thunder roster as OKC embarks on its NBA title defense. SGA is the MVP, Jalen Williams an All-NBA player, but the third member of the Thunder’s Big Three? There’s no telling how good he could become. Unlike the other two, so much of Holmgren’s ceiling, and whether he’ll reach it, is dependent on health.
Holmgren missed the entire 2022-23 season with a foot injury. The next season, in what was his official rookie campaign, Holmgren played in all 82 games. Last season was somewhere in between. A hip fracture limited Holmgren to 32 games.
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Holmgren has played in 114 (46%) of a possible 246 career games.
In case you need a refresher of what peak Chet — up until now — looks like, turn back to his first nine games of last season before he broke his hip.
Holmgren’s first nine games: 29 minutes, 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.9 blocks, 52% FG, 40% 3FG.
Holmgren’s 22 regular-season games upon return: 28 minutes, 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, 48% FG, 38% 3FG
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Holmgren’s 23 playoff games: 30 minutes, 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.9 blocks, 46% FG, 30% 3FG
Holmgren never got back to his pre-injury form last season, but as the numbers show, he gradually improved the further removed from it he was.
“Obviously the injury changed the course of last season, and he did an incredible job of hopping on a moving train and helping our team reach its ceiling last year,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s got a track record of productive offseasons. What that actually looks like, I try to stay pretty open — I don’t really predict anything.”
Holmgren said he feels “a lot better” now compared to when he returned last season.
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“I understood where the team was at while I was hurt, and we had an opportunity to do something special,” Holmgren said. “I wanted to get back as quick as possible to get my legs under me, get my feel for playing basketball again as early as I could, give myself the most runway before the playoffs.”
“I don’t think any of those decisions were wrong,” Holmgren added. “I’d make all the same decisions again, but I didn’t have the time necessarily that I needed to get my body to where it needed to be to feel great.”
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Chet Holmgren (7) reacts during the Thunder Media Day for the 25-26 NBA season at the Paycom CenterMonday, Sept. 29, 2025.
That right there is what’s scary. The Thunder won the championship despite its third-best player being limited physically and mentally out of rhythm. Not to mention Jalen Williams, its second-best player, fighting through a wrist in fury that required surgery.
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Yes, Holmgren was still impactful, playing terrorizing defense with his pterodactyl frame, but he wasn’t himself offensively. He didn’t have the same lift on his jump shot or the confidence in his handle that we saw in those nine games pre-injury.
Holmgren said he’s spent a lot of time this summer in the weight room and on the physical therapy table.
“He’s made to play basketball and he’s made to be successful in basketball, from his height to his instincts to his feel,” SGA said. “And he’s just going to continue to grow, because he has a mentality that sets him apart.”
Holmgren agrees there’s another level for him to reach.
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“That’s a big part of why I work really hard is because I know there’s more to tap into,” Holmgren said. “But there’s no checklist for reaching that. You really just have to attack every day with the right intentions.
“There’s no guarantees of what I will get to, what I won’t get to. But I’m always going to chase the best outcome.”
Gilgeous-Alexander teased what’s to come.
“People in the universe have no choice,” SGA said, “but to watch Chet Holmgren grow into the player that he’s going to be.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chet Holmgren is Thunder’s most intriguing player entering 2025-26