Thunder Forward Chet Holmgren Has Bright Future Following Injury Recovery

It’s been a long journey in returning to the court for Oklahoma City Thunder 7-footer Chet Holmgren. While missing the entirety of the 2022-23 season with a foot injury, he was forced to watch his team from the sidelines as the Thunder exceeded expectations and made the postseason.

Over the course of the past week, he had the opportunity to get back to on-court action during NBA Summer League, playing three games over the course of six days. In a trio of contests split between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Holmgren was a game-changer and looks as good as anyone could have hoped. In these three contests, he averaged a double-double with 13.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game to go along with 3.0 blocks, 2.7 assists and a steal.

“It’s amazing,” said Holmgren when describing the feeling of being back not the court. “Win, lose, draw, whatever, it’s just great to be out there. Nothing can really replace being able to hoop and I’m just really thankful for all the people who kind of stuck with me and believed in me throughout this whole process, not only from the team side, the management the players, but my friends, family and everybody who’s been with me along the way. I feel like I never gave up on myself, but they definitely helped me to do that.”

While it will take time to get back in game shape, Holmgren appears to be just fine physically. In Salt Lake City following his initial summer league return, he indicated he has no lingering issues.

“It’s like the injury never happened…if you erased my memory, I wouldn’t know anything happened to my foot,” said the 7-footer.

In his third and potentially final game of the summer on Saturday, Holmgren had a tough test in matching up with Dereck Lively II and the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas. He was impactful on both ends, but really started to showcase his ability to change the game defensively. Not only did he block two shots, but Holmgren forced the Mavs to reconsider how they wanted to generate their points. On several occasions, Dallas would drive the ball or throw it into the paint to a cutter, but the player would feel Holmgren’s presence and dribble it out instead of attempting a shot.

“He has learned a lot in how to put himself in positions to protect the rim for us,” said Thunder summer league coach Kameron Woods. “It’s not as easy as just sitting back there and protecting the rim. It’s really his IQ off the ball, he’s done a great job learning during the time he was out and even earlier this summer. Just how to keep himself low, whether that’s switching, off-ball or bumping guys out of that low spot. It starts with him, his commitment to doing that, and he’s a great communicator as well.”

Holmgren hasn’t shot the ball well from the perimeter this summer, but is a prospect that should shoot above league average from distance even as a rookie. His ability to knock down 3-point shots opens things up for his teammates as a floor spacer, but also for himself as he leverages his effective pumpfake to drive past his defenders to score closer to the rim. In his eyes, getting his legs under him and his shot back is the next step in his continued recovery from the injury ahead of the upcoming season.

“I’d say it’s just a little bit with my shot and stuff, just finding that rhythm within the game again, because you can’t really replace game rhythm without playing,” said Holmgren in Las Vegas when asked what he still needs to work on. “So it’s something I’m still getting used to again, but I feel like it’s moving along. Then just some X’s and O’s things, when to attack and when to be aggressive in different situations. Just got to get a feel again for when I should do that, and when I should get off the ball and make a play elsewhere.”

He’s also proven to be a productive rebounder on he offensive glass, which generates second chance looks for himself and others. As a passer, nearly three assists per game over the past week was very impressive for a guy of Holmgren’s size. He always keeps his head up, which combined with his handle allows him to pull down rebounds and push the floor.

What makes Holmgren the most special is just how many ways he can impact the game. One night he could be a primary scorer that knocks down several triples, while the next night he could take over a game with his rebounding or paint presence defensively. Being as well-rounded and versatile as he is, the Thunder can be flexible when creating lineups depending on the opponent and situation. He’s a guy that can close games and play either frontcourt position.

“I pride myself on being able to do — or work to be able to do — whatever coach asks me,” said Holmgren at summer league. “That’s what I plan to do. We have a great group of guys with a lot of different talents and I feel like I can compliment a lot of these dudes and they can compliment me as well. Whether it’s spacing the floor vertically as a lob threat or spacing the court from the three, blocking shots on defense, being a rim protector and adding some length.”

Between the strong performances in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas and his comments when talking about his recovery, Holmgren appears to be right back on track towards becoming a potential star in the future. While he did lose an entire season of on-court development, there’s still plenty he was able to learn just by being around the team for the past year. He studied film, built chemistry off the court with all of his teammates, got to live out an 82-game schedule and see the grind of an NBA season and got physically stronger and heavier. He’ll technically be a rookie in the upcoming season and will have a leg up on his fellow first-year players in many respects. Holmgren talked in Las Vegas this week about some of the things he was able to do while recovering from his foot injury over the past 11 months.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in the facility working on not only my game, but my body as well. In terms of my eating habits and everything, just trying to do every little thing that that adds up over these days. I feel great. My body feels great. I definitely feel stronger. Even though I wasn’t able to play, I definitely feel like I learned a lot.”

While Holmgren’s injury was significant, there’s real reason for optimism moving forward with him as a prospect. He’ll be joining a team that just won 40 games last season in effort to continue pushing the Thunder forward as a starter from day one.