3 Takeaways From Big OKC Thunder Win in Chet Holmgren's Return

The Thunder dominated with their big star back on the floor.

Feb 7, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) moves the ball against Toronto Raptors guard JaKobe Walter (14) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City ended its four-game homestand unbeaten and added one of the best defenders in the league in the finale.

While the Thunder’s game against the 16-win Toronto Raptors might not have necessarily been a highly anticipated game coming into the week, Chet Holmgren’s return from injury made the 121-109 win a highlight of the season. Holmgren looked solid in his first game in nearly three months, tallying four points, five rebounds, four blocks and two steals in 22 minutes.

As he looks to adjust to playing at NBA speed again, the Thunder’s All-Stars carried the load against the Raptors. Jalen Williams scored a game-high 27 points, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 25-point night coming in a close second. 

Oklahoma City had control for most of the game, allowing the starters to rest for the final few minutes on the front end of a back-to-back. 

Let’s dive into three lessons that can be learned from yesterday’s game.

Feb 7, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) goes to the basket beside Toronto Raptors guard Ochai Agbaji (30) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

All OKC needs immediately from Chet is rim protection

Obviously, the Thunder’s hopes of competing for an NBA championship in June will hinge on Holmgren being the all-around 7-footer who can create his own shot and singlehandedly disrupt opposing offenses. However, it is February, and the Thunder just completed game 50 of the regular season.

Over the course of the next couple of months, Holmgren should be able to get back to form, but as he looks to make an impact upon returning, simply adding a dimension Oklahoma City has lacked is enough. Against the Raptors, Holmgren had four blocks and looked like his usual self when contesting shots inside.

In nine games with Holmgren to begin the season, the Thunder averaged 7.2 blocks, with Holmgren averaging 2.9 of his own. In his absence, that dropped to 5.2 per game over a 40-game stretch. With four blocks from Holmgren and seven as a team against Toronto, Oklahoma City’s status as the best shot-blocking team in the league may have returned.

Aaron Wiggins might be the offensive spark OKC is looking for 

Leading up to the trade deadline, Oklahoma City was in rumors for players like Cam Johnson to add some shooting and another scoring option. Sam Presti decided to stand pat and keep things going with his league-leading roster.

While Holmgren’s return gives the Thunder a top-tier talent back on the team, Aaron Wiggins might be the guy to deliver that extra scoring punch. For the first time in his career, Wiggins is averaging double-digit points at 10.3 while shooting 49.6% from the field and 36.2% from deep.

Against the Raptors, Wiggins added 18 points in his fourth-straight start. Since his breakout performance in his home state in Charlotte in late December, Wiggins has averaged 13 points and shot 55.6% from the floor on over nine shots per game.

Wiggins’ ability to be a reliable scoring option for the Thunder could prove massive in the postseason, and as he gets more comfortable creating his own shot, his five-year deal will continue to look like a steal for Oklahoma City.

OKC isn’t staggering Hartenstein and Holmgren… yet

In Friday’s game, the Thunder started Holmgren with Isaiah Hartenstein to form easily the biggest frontcourt look the team has had in years or maybe ever. With those two on the floor together to begin the game, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault also chose to take them out together in the first and third quarters.

Rather than always having one of Holmgren and Hartenstein out there, he opted for Jaylin Williams. Of course, Holmgren only played 22 minutes in his return and that number is likely to go up over the next few weeks.

Once Holmgren gets to a level where he and the team feel comfortable with big minutes, it would make sense for one of the two starting bigs to always be on the floor. In any case, Holmgren and Hartenstein seem to have some chemistry together already, and that will only grow as the season progresses.

---

Holmgren was rusty in his return but began to shake off that rust throughout the game. As he continues to play more and get comfortable on the floor again, the Thunder will only continue to look like a championship favorite.

Oklahoma City will get to prove its status as the West’s best team on Saturday when it heads to Memphis to face the No. 2 seeded Grizzlies on the second half of a back-to-back.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.