It appears that Oklahoma City Thunder star big man Chet Holmgren is on his way to making his return to action this Tuesday night, as the reigning and defending NBA champions start a four-game road trip.
Holmgren has missed the last three Thunder games with a back issue, but his name is no longer on the NBA's official injury report, suggesting that he'll be available to play against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome in Inglewood this Tuesday.
The Thunder, however, do not seem to be missing the former Gonzaga Bulldog a lot, considering that they remain unbeaten so far in the 2025-26 NBA regular season. They defeated the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans without Holmgren by an average scoring margin of 18.6 points.
With Holmgren coming back, the Thunder will get more size, length and versatility on both ends of the floor, as they face off against James Harden and the Clippers on the road. Holmgren, the second pick overall at the 2022 NBA Draft, has averaged 23.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while posting a 66.7 effective field goal percentage in four games played this season, thus far.
Also, Aaron Wiggins can be expected to slide back to the bench. Over the last three games, Wiggins has put up 13.7 points on 43.2 percent shooting from the field, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Meanwhile, Lu Dort and Ajay Williams are both labeled questionable for the Clippers game.
Thunder going for eighth straight win to start 2025-26 NBA season
The Thunder are truly playing like the defending NBA champions, as they have passed all the tests that have come their way to date. They kicked off their campaign with a thrilling 125-124 overtime victory over Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets at home, then swept all their assignment in the three-game road trip that followed before Holmgren started to miss action due to his back.
On the season, Oklahoma City is eighth overall in the league with a 117.3 offensive rating despite missing an important piece in Holmgren for three games. Also, the Thunder are No. 1 with a 104.2 defensive rating, giving them a league-best plus-13.1 net rating.
