Chet Holmgren must be more than elated to be back. 

A Lisfranc injury in Holmgren’s right foot postponed his NBA career by a full year and after a promising first year back from injury, the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft was aiming for an All-Star appearance and a shot at Defensive Player of the Year, among other things. All signs were pointing to such, as he was seemingly healthy and emerging as a force for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, disaster struck. 

The right iliac wing fracture would force Holmgren to miss nearly 40 games and while the Thunder remained among the Western Conference’s best teams, he was certainly itching to be in the trenches with his OKC teammates. 

That was evident when he returned a week before the All-Star Weekend and since then, the Thunder have not missed a beat. OKC was 4-1 with Holmgren back in the lineup and while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the focal point for the Thunder, Holmgren nonetheless adds another dimension to the team. 

Holmgren’s size and skillset make him a matchup nightmare even when he’s not a 100 percent. The 22-year old’s ability to protect the rim while also having the range to score from behind the 3-point line complicates the plans of OKC’s opponents. Players entering the paint have to think twice and that in itself alters shots that would have been easier to make against other frontcourts. Even with his lanky frame, opposing centers need to exert a ton of effort in getting Holmgren out of position. 

All things considered, Holmgren could not have returned at a better time. He’ll definitely sit out some games between now and the start of the postseason, but the former Gonzaga Bulldog still has enough opportunities to get his rhythm back and develop chemistry with his teammates. It’s also better that Holmgren makes mistakes in the regular season, because they become more costly in the postseason. 

As a willing defender, he has had a tendency of being on the wrong end of poster dunks, but the Thunder coaching staff would rather he be willing to rise to the challenge than seeing him tentative and giving up easy baskets. Besides, OKC also finds themselves more than a handful of games ahead of the second-place Denver Nuggets and can afford to test out some schemes they’ll want to deploy come April. 

Chet Holmgren could sit out more games down the road, but the number of games he plays in won’t matter when the goal is to play basketball until June. With his injury now behind him, every shot, rebound, block, error, and ounce of effort Holmgren puts in now will incrementally add to Holmgren’s confidence as he tries to restake his claim as an unstoppable force.