Head coach Mark Daigneault knew that, ten days after he and the Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA Finals, starting forward Chet Holmgren was back in the gym, working on his game. The 23-year-old forward wasn't taking any chances. Holmgren will never forget the darkest days of his career amidst last season's 50-game absence. Another frustrating setback for the second overall pick in the 2022 draft, who forfeited his rookie year due to a Lisfranc injury.
With the fear of another significant setback lingering, Holmgren didn't waste much time celebrating after winning Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers, stepping directly into his offseason workouts, in less than two weeks, he said, per ESPN's Anthony Slater.
“Nothing's worse for your body than not training,” Holmgren said. “I learned that being on bed rest for six weeks watching my muscle just f****** wash away.”
With only 132 regular-season games under his belt amid his fourth season with the Thunder, Holmgren is still developing, and it shows. He's averaging career-highs in points (18.4), field-goal percentage (56.1%), and rebounds (8.0) this season. The 2025-26 campaign is by far his best opportunity to earn his first All-Star nod, and more.
Chet Holmgren's hip injury setback in Thunder's 2024-25 season
Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein had never seen someone in such pain on a basketball court as when Chet Holmgren fractured his pelvis in the tenth game of the regular season. Hartenstein worked out with Holmgren over the summer and reflected on the trajectory he saw his teammate on before another significant setback brought Chet back down to reality.
“He would've been in contention for Defensive Player of the Year,” Hartenstein said. “He had a chance to make an All-Star team. So I think that's probably another mental factor. You have to go through the what ifs.”
Amidst last season's 8-1 start for coach Mark Daigneault and the Thunder, Holmgren scored 29 points in 29 minutes before it all came to a screeching halt.
“Then boom,” Holmgren said. “Backward. It's just so disheartening.”
After spending a week in the hospital, Holmgren was bedridden for three weeks as the Thunder's regular season carried on without him.
“You don't want people to be around you because you're miserable,” Holmgren said. “You can't go do anything. You're not even living, you're just surviving.
“That's something I don't think fans realize about some of these real f***** up injuries.”
It was a frustrating three-month recovery process before Holmgren returned to the floor in February. Perhaps that's why he didn't waste much time celebrating his first championship. While capturing an NBA title is a goal at the top of most players' lists, Chet is in a position to qualify for personal accolades he's yet to earn throughout his injury-riddled career.
But this year is different. While the Thunder were without Jalen Williams for the first 19 games as defending champions, Holmgren reprised his role as the team's defensive anchor and took it to new heights. 22 games into the regular season, he's the odds-on favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Oklahoma City (103.8) has the best defensive rating and the best record — 21-1 — in the NBA.
Will 2025-26 be Chet Holmgren's breakout season for Thunder?
Chet Holmgren and the Thunder agreed to a five-year, $240.7 million contract extension — an investment in one-third of coach Mark Daigneault's core, led by the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander alongside All-Star Jalen Williams. Fresh off a title run, the Thunder's core is in its early to mid-20s and has the best chance to become the NBA's next dynasty.
This season, per GeniusIQ, Holmgren has held opponents to 39.9% as the contesting defender, best among the 42 players to contest at least 250 shots, as ESPN's Anthony Slater noted.
“He's always got all that,” Daigneault said. “But then there's still a ceiling for him because he's such a young player. He has only played [131] games in his career. So we view him as a guy that is developmental still. And it sounds weird to say that because usually that is associated with guys who haven't accomplished what he has.”
However, Holmgren's very best has yet to come for the defending champion Thunder, eyeing back-to-back titles amid a near-perfect start 22 games into the regular season.
