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All the makings are there for the Oklahoma City Thunder to take another leap as a team during the 2024-25 season. Last year, they broke out as a contending team, but this time around, they look like the favorite to win the Larry O'Brien trophy. However, competing for a championship is never easy. No team is devoid of concerns, and the Thunder are no different — especially amid Chet Holmgren's process of reworking his jumpshot.
One would think that Holmgren doesn't need to overhaul his shot. After all, he shot 37.0 percent from three last season on a healthy 4.3 attempts per game. But Holmgren and the Thunder apparently felt the need for him to change his shooting form, and the early returns have not looked pretty.
In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Joel Lorenzi of Oklahoman Sports, Holmgren was seen hoisting up shots prior to the Thunder's preseason game against the Spurs. This then prompted fans to discuss the 22-year-old's new shooting form, and the overall sentiment was that Holmgren's shot now looks more awkward than it was.
Another angle, for those curious pic.twitter.com/fTRiBaZlxx
— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) October 7, 2024
“im sure there’s a good reason he changed his form but simply from an eye test standard it looks a bit less natural than last year,” Reddit user commandrr wrote.
“The hitch is awful,” user Designer_Sundae6110 commented.
“This form does not look smooth,” user ismelllikebobdole added.
Nonetheless, some Thunder fans came in and defended Holmgren for reworking his jumpshot. They thought that this decision was necessary since Holmgren's shot was blocked more often than one would expect from a center whose listed height is 7'1″.
“Definitely looks new to him. He mentioned in an interview that he spent the entire off-season working on this new shot so that he can get it off quicker, and it's a lot higher of a release. Last season his shot would get blocked by guys that had no business blocking that, and he'd get into a habit of pump faking before every shot [affecting] his confidence,” user Loxdnw explained.
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“For a 7 footer with a probably high release point he got blocked on a lot of jumpers. This looks slower (probably because it's still new to him) but the release point is higher than his old one and will probably be faster when he gets used to it,” user Yeah_Boiy added.
There might not be a better time for Holmgren to make such a major change; he is still young, so he can still build new muscle memories. However, the Thunder will need him to be at his best next season to contend for a title, and it remains to be seen if his new jumpshot yields similar results to last year.
Chet Holmgren to become the Thunder's full-time power forward?
The Thunder may have earned the number one seed in the Western Conference last season, but they had a glaring weakness for teams to exploit: rebounding. Thus, they rectified this situation by bringing Isaiah Hartenstein in on a huge free-agent deal.
Now, it's not quite clear what starting lineup the Thunder will begin the year with. They can opt to roll with last year's five, but with Alex Caruso in Josh Giddey's place. But they can move Holmgren to the four as well, which would then make his game more perimeter-centric. Thus, it's imperative that his new shooting form work out for the best especially if he moves to the four on a full-time basis.
