Chet Holmgren Continuing Progress on Injury Rehab for OKC Thunder

Oklahoma City’s big man is working to get back on the floor this season.

Nov 8, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) moves the ball around Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (12) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder’s rotation took a massive hit when Chet Holmgren went down with an injury in November. Holmgren was in the middle of a monster start to the season, coming of a 29-point performance than included three blocks against Houston. It was a huge bummer, and it looked like the Thunder would struggle in his absence.

Then, Isaiah Hartenstein was healthy enough to return to the lineup. All the concern about the Thunder’s struggles without Holmgren were quieted when Hartenstein made a bigger impact than anyone could’ve anticipated. Now, two months later, Oklahoma City is soaring. 

Without Holmgren, the Thunder currently rank first in the Western Conference by a wide margin of 6.5 games. The team has an unfathomable 30-5 overall record and is tracking to be one of the greatest NBA regular season teams of this decade. A big test against Cleveland looms on Wednesday night, but Oklahoma City has done a terrific job of weathering the storm without a potential All-Star in the lineup.

Despite the success without Holmgren, let’s not get the story twisted. He’s beyond integral to what the Thunder wants to do and he’s critical to both the team’s success and ceiling moving forward. Holmgren raises this team’s ceiling exponentially and is a game-changer as an anchor down low. With how well Hartenstein has been playing, the thought of pairing the two together has to be exciting for the Thunder. The team is absolutely awaiting his return to play anxiously.

Originally, the diagnosis of Holmgren’s injury warranted an 8-to-10 week timeline on his return to play protocol. The timeline wasn’t signifying he would certainly begin to ramp up his process in 8-to-10 weeks, but rather that’s when an update would be provided. It has been eight weeks with no update, but it appears his progression is tracking in the right direction. 

Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweeted Wednesday morning that Holmgren made the trip to Cleveland with the team and was going through movement drills on the court at shoot-around. Previously, Holmgren has attended home games and was often seen on crutches in a relatively immobile position. Traveling with the team to away games and taking part in light movement drills on the court feels like a massive step in the right direction.

Chet Holmgren made the trip with the Thunder. He’s going through some movement drills on the court as we leave today’s shootaround.

— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) January 8, 2025

There's no question about it, Oklahoma City is a better team when Holmgren is on the court. The Thunder will continue patiently awaiting his return, and hoping that Wednesday is a step in the right direction.

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