Thunder's Chet Holmgren makes franchise history

Many wondered why the Thunder stood pat the trade deadline, refusing to pursue available players who could have helped them in the playoffs. The answer is simple: OKC was awaiting the return of Chet Holmgren, who missed three months of the season with a pelvic fracture.

Unlike other teams that had to look elsewhere, the Thunder had an ace up their sleeve in Holmgren, who made an instant impact upon his return from injury. However, the franchise didn't let the 7-footer go full-blast through his first few games, keeping him on a minutes restriction.

All that changed on Wednesday as Holmgren played over 30 minutes for the first time since his return, looking every bit like the player who challenged Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year honors last year. The Gonzaga alum stuffed the stat sheet in his team's 129-121 win over the Nets, including a career-high 17 rebounds, to make franchise history.