Oct 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) blocks a shot by Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Chet Holmgren Demonstrating Initiative for the OKC Thunder

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Nate Aker | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 6:36 PM ET

It's been said before. The depth of this Oklahoma City Thunder team is admirable. General manager Sam Presti has forged this. And while he and Mark Daigneault plug and play to their heart's content with virtually no negative pushback, you can sometimes take it for granted.

That was going to be put to the test with the absence of Jalen Williams as he recovers from his wrist procedure which took place back in July following a valiant effort in the NBA Finals where Oklahoma City took home the Larry O'Brien. Before that, we'd seen the Thunder deal with injury issues sporadically throughout last season for the most part—and of course, with Chet Holmgren being out from November to early February.

But losing a player of this caliber in Williams is a tall hill to climb. Luckily, the Thunder has several players to help answer that call in his absence—but one player's been at the forefront thus far—Holmgren.

The 7-foot-1 hybrid big from Gonzaga is truly panning out for Oklahoma City now three years in, and has been coming up massive to start the year supplanting Williams' production.

While a small sample size, Holmgren's value has been evident on the floor and it's been reflected in the box score.

In the Thunder's season-opening contest versus the Houston Rockets, Holmgren almost put up a 30-piece inside Paycom following the team's ring ceremony—not quite as he logged 28 points but doing so on 64.7% shooting on the night.

Next against the Indiana Pacers serving as a quick rematch of the recent NBA Finals, Holmgren's double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds served well alongside a 55-point performance by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to capture the win.

A 31-point outing against the Atlanta Hawks followed up by an 18-point, four-block performance, Holmgren's been on a tear to kicking things off. On average, he's putting up 23 points on 56.9% shooting and 41.7% from three plus 10.3 rebounds per game—all increased numbers from his two previous years' averages, although just four games into the 2025-26 campaign.

Holmgren's been able to step up to the plate so far as Oklahoma City starts where it left off from last season's championship run, winning four consecutive games to kick off the season.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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