Chet Holmgren: From Rest to NBA Title. Resilience and Rise

Chet Holmgren: A Rising Champion with a Promising Future

Just seven weeks after turning 23, Chet Holmgren, the young NBA prodigy, already tasted the glory of his first championship. Without wasting time, the Oklahoma City Thunder center returned to the gym ten days after the celebration, demonstrating his unwavering dedication.

“Nothing is worse for your body than not training. I learned this when I was on rest for six weeks, watching my muscles fade away,” Holmgren stated.

Chet Holmgren

The Thunder’s 2025 season, on their way to the championship, is full of memorable moments, but for Holmgren, there were also shadows. In the tenth game of the regular season, a hip injury forced him to leave the game. The impact with the court and the pelvic fracture marked a turning point. Holmgren, who returned for the title race after missing 39 games, has already achieved two milestones that many premium lottery players pursue throughout their careers. Three summers after being selected at number 2 in 2022, he has been a major contributor on an NBA champion and, in July, signed a five-year, $240.7 million contract extension. Holmgren, a proven and rewarded winner, is still in the early stages of his development in the NBA. He has participated in fewer regular season games (131) than Amen Thompson (148), the Houston Rockets forward, selected at number 4 in 2023. Holmgren’s hunger to make a personal leap is driving the Thunder’s repeat effort this season. In previous seasons, his prolonged absences partially opened the door for Jalen Williams to become the team’s second star. But Williams missed the first 19 games of this season due to a wrist injury, partially opening the door for Holmgren to stretch his legs. The Thunder have raced to a 20-1 record with a historic point differential (15.5). Holmgren is averaging 18.2 points, a career high.

“We don’t really have anyone on the team who sits around and remembers what a great career he had. I think everyone on the team strives and looks for more. The championship wasn’t the last box on his wish list,” Holmgren said.

Chet Holmgren

Oklahoma City Thunder’s center, Chet Holmgren, is averaging 18.2 points, a career-high this season. The Thunder have the best record in the NBA, with 20-1. The work done between his second and third seasons was evident. Holmgren had 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a dominant win over the Nuggets. Two nights later, Holmgren had 21, 16, and 2 blocks in Chicago. The following night, he had 25, 9, and 6 blocks in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. The jump was materializing. Two nights before fracturing his hip, Holmgren punished Houston’s front line with 29 points in 29 minutes. The beating propelled the Thunder to 8-1. Holmgren compared his first month after the hip fracture to solitary confinement. He spent a week in the hospital and then three more stuck in his oversized bed, with orders to lie on his left side and move as little as possible to ensure healing.

“You don’t want people to be around you because you’re miserable. You can’t do anything. You’re not even living, you’re just surviving. That’s something I don’t think the fans realize about some of these really fucked up injuries,” Holmgren said.

Chet Holmgren

Holmgren missed his entire first season due to a Lisfranc injury, but even that longer rehabilitation was more bearable because it was more mobile and social. Most NBA injuries come with the freedom to be around the team and work on other areas of the body. Bed rest, as Holmgren said, you just watch the growth and muscle “disappear”. In the waning glow of that championship in late June, after those 10 days away from hard work, Holmgren entered the gym with the intention of rebuilding specific areas of his body and his game. To do that, he put tape. Holmgren returned in February from the hip fracture, discovered how to play comfortably at the power forward position alongside Hartenstein, who was signed in the offseason to reinforce OKC’s front line, and rejoined admirably as a winning player on a runaway train in motion. He started all 23 playoff games, averaging 15.2 points in 29.8 minutes and finished second among all players with 43 postseason blocks. But he hated the film.

“The worst person to talk to about his good performances is him,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s a perfectionist.”

Mark Daigneault

Holmgren hit only 29.7% of his three-pointers in the playoffs. He saw a lagging shot. He stayed below 10 points in three of the seven Finals games. He was seen running and cutting and simply not seeing the athlete or playmaker he knows he is. Instead, he saw hesitation.

“I look slow out there. It felt slow too. I didn’t have my pop and my movement at all,” Holmgren said.

Chet Holmgren

On a night that will in part define the legacy of those within this burgeoning Thunder era, Game 7 to win their first title, Holmgren had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. As the Thunder pulled away from the Indiana Pacers in the third quarter, Holmgren was everywhere. Four of his five blocks and 13 of his 18 points came after halftime.

“The best framework to look at it is through the lens of the floor and the ceiling. That game is just a great example of the player’s floor. The guy just changed the game. I mean, he blocks five, but he alters another two or three. Then he deters a few more because they won’t even go there. So, suddenly, you’re taking away 10 quality shots in the most important game of the season. You’re taking them away because of his presence,” said Daigneault.

Mark Daigneault

Holmgren, even when engaged, is a 7-foot floor spacer that defenses respect even when he misses shots. On the other end, he has been among the elite rim protectors since the moment he entered the league. For his career, he has conceded a 46.4% effective field goal percentage as a contest defender, the third-best among those who have contested 2,000 shots in that span, only behind Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. This season, according to GeniusIQ, Holmgren has held opponents to 39.9% as a contest defender, the best among the 42 players who have contested at least 250 shots. “He always has all that. But there’s still a ceiling for him because he’s a very young player. He’s only played [131] games in his career. So we see him as a guy who’s still developing. And it sounds weird to say that because, usually, that’s associated with guys who haven’t accomplished what he has accomplished,” Daigneault said.

Winning is often rewarded in the NBA. Holmgren worked hard in his hip rehabilitation to return as quickly as possible, needing just under three months, and strived to help propel the Thunder to the finish line. Less than a month later, on July 9, they planted that monstrous contract offer on his table. He accepted.

“I never played basketball for the finances. Obviously, it’s a blessing. I can take care of my family for a long time. But I never did it for any amount of money. So my urgency to get out on the court and play has nothing to do with needing to get paid or finally getting paid,” Holmgren said.

Chet Holmgren

But the changing finances will be the next story for this evolving Thunder team. This season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren earn a combined total of $58.5 million. Next season, they will earn a combined total of $123.8 million. The following season, it will be a combined total of $150.6 million. As they occupy an increasingly large percentage of the salary cap, Thunder general manager Sam Presti will inevitably be forced to be more frugal with the rest of the rotation and roster, even with a treasure trove of draft assets. That makes Holmgren’s final ceiling a more important part of the big picture. What can he become as he ages into the middle of his prime? The signs from the beginning of this season have been positive. His gross scoring production has increased. His 55.5% shooting is the highest of his career. He says he feels better physically, and his star teammate feels it too.

“It just doesn’t physically fade. His movements are stronger throughout the game. Naturally, he’ll get into 15, 17 points a night. Then, as he continues to get stronger, he’ll develop his low and mid-post game, the same way Dirk Nowitzki did,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Holmgren is finishing better than ever around the rim. He has scored 75% of his dunks and layups, compared to 63% last season. Daigneault also called one of the Thunder’s internal statistics on Holmgren as “very encouraging”.

“He’s taking a higher percentage of his open shots than last year. Roughly 10% more by gross percentages. I think he’s gone from 73 [percent] to 62 [percent] based on our numbers,” Daigneault said.

Mark Daigneault

Williams returned to the lineup this week. In his first two games back, Holmgren still had 23 and 19 points with a combined 17 of 28 shots. The two work well together, especially as the combined engine of the second units when Gilgeous-Alexander sits. But Williams’ rise in usage as he inevitably rejoins will affect everyone else, including Holmgren. It will be the ultimate balance for Holmgren to achieve, as he tries to become the individual player he wants to be within the necessary confines of a giant.

“The sky is the limit. You can take this game and your game wherever you want,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander