A very unfortunate development hit the Oklahoma City Thunder late on Sunday night when reports came out that Chet Holmgren, who has been off to a terrific start in his sophomore campaign, will miss a minimum of eight to 10 weeks after suffering a right iliac hip fracture during their 127-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Holmgren played just five minutes before exiting the game after falling hard to the ground following a shot-contest attempt on Andrew Wiggins at the rim.
There is not much precedent, however, for an injury of this nature, at least in NBA standards. While the Thunder expect Holmgren to return later on in the season, just in time for the stretch run leading up to the playoffs, it is difficult at the moment to chart a concrete timeline for his recovery.
As Jeff Stotts, injury analyst for SMART, pointed out on X (formerly known as Twitter), hip fractures are “rare” in that there are only two other instances of such an injury in NBA history — with both providing “little insight” regarding the Thunder center's recovery timeline.
Back in 2011, Sundiata Gaines, who was with the New Jersey Nets at the time, suffered a fractured hip which caused him to miss the final 12 games of the season. However, when news of his injury broke, the initial timeline provided was that he would be in crutches for six to eight weeks before beginning with his rehabilitation.
And then in October 2021, another Thunder player, Mamadi Diakite, fractured his hip as well. He was waived shortly thereafter. But in a promising turn of events, Diakite was picked back up by the Thunder in January 2022, and he made his season debut on January 13 of the same year. That indicates around a 13-week timeline between the date his injury was announced and the day he returned to the hardwood.
If Holmgren can return to play after missing a similar amount of time to Diakite, then the Thunder organization will be very pleased. 13 weeks from now, it will be February 10, 2025; best-case scenario, Holmgren could make his return before the All-Star break.
Chet Holmgren join Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams on the Thunder injury list
As if the Thunder needed an injury to the only nominal center remaining on their active roster, Oklahoma City will now have to survive at least the next few weeks by going small in the aftermath of Chet Holmgren's hip fracture.
The good news is that Isaiah Hartenstein's return should not be too far away; Hartenstein's fracture was supposed to keep him out until at least the third week of November, so the Thunder should have a very capable starting center in their midst not too long from now.
But for the next few games, the Thunder will have to rely on their committee of very capable perimeter defenders to hold the fort for them in the paint, especially with Jaylin Williams also still out due to a hamstring injury. Aaron Wiggins, Alex Caruso, Ousmane Dieng, and Cason Wallace, among others, should receive extended minutes for the meantime.
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