When Will Chet Holmgren Return From Injury For OKC Thunder?

While the injury is not season-ending, Holmgren will not begin his return-to-play process until early January at the very earliest. The good news Thunder fans can take from this is that Holmgren should not miss any time in the playoffs and will have a few months to prepare and get reacclimated on the court before the Thunder make a run at a championship.

His injury was a huge blow to the Thunder’s roster early in the season as both him and fellow center, Isaiah Hartenstein, were out during the same period. Since then, Hartenstein has made his return, filling Holmgren’s starting center role. Before the injury, Holmgren was averaging 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 37.8% from three.

Even with Holmgren’s injury, the Thunder have continued to dominate this season thanks to the elite play from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They currently hold a 19-5 record and sit at the top of the Western Conference standings.

Shai is once again in the MVP race this season. He is averaging 30.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Jalen Williams has also taken another step forward this season, especially during his time filling in for both Holmgren and Hartenstein.

Oklahoma City’s next game takes place in Las Vegas on Saturday Dec. 14 as they face off against the Houston Rockets in the NBA Cup semifinals. Fans can catch the game on ABC at 8:30 p.m. EST.

If the Thunder can eliminate the Rockets, they would advance to the NBA Cup Final on Tuesday Dec. 17 where they will matchup against either the Milwaukee Bucks or Atlanta Hawks.