Chet Holmgren Could Thrive After Latest Thunder Injury News

Oklahoma City is set for an important stretch before the All-Star break, and it could be a perfect time for Chet Holmgren to take another step forward.

Over the past few weeks, the Thunder have gone from relatively healthy to having nearly half of the roster out of the lineup with various injuries. Securing a tight win over New Orleans on Tuesday night to avoid a three-game losing streak, the Thunder are clearly in need of some help.

Starting Thursday night in Minnesota, the Thunder will get perhaps their most important injured player back in the lineup as Isaiah Hartenstein makes his return to the floor after being sidelined with his nagging calf strain since late December. In that time, the Thunder had to rely on Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams to man the middle with varying results, particularly on the glass. 

In Hartenstein’s 16-game absence, the Thunder still managed to go 11-5, but won the rebuilding battle only four times in that span, getting outrebounded by an average of seven rebounds.

While Holmgren is an elite rim protector, his rebounding ability can be a bit spotty with his frame, especially against a bulkier center. With Hartenstein back on the court, the Thunder won’t have to rely on Holmgren as much to do the dirty work inside, and he can get back to being a full-time second option without having to worry about banging in the paint with bigger centers.

While Holmgren has been a solid option alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander throughout this stretch, particularly since Jalen Williams suffered a hamstring strain, the toll of having to play against the biggest players on the floor and fight for rebounds every night has been clear. Although the Thunder managed to survive with Holmgren at the five in the 2023-24 season for all 82 games, he has taken a beating throughout this season, and Hartenstein should give him some much-needed relief.

With Holmgren back at the four, the Thunder should be able to get him more involved offensively. Likely having a smaller defender on him again moving forward, getting Holmgren in a position where he can shoot over the top and have an opportunity to create mismatches should bode well for Oklahoma City’s often stagnant offense.

And, of course, the big-to-big connection that Hartenstein and Holmgren have seemingly mastered over the past couple of years should also be a massive help for the Thunder. Hartenstein’s return will help the Thunder as a unit in a number of ways, but the impact it has on Holmgren in the short and long-term might be the most significant.

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