How Much Will Chet Holmgren’s Return Really Help OKC Thunder?

Oklahoma City fell flat against Golden State on Wednesday night in the Bay, and although it was just a meaningless regular season loss, there’s plenty of buzz surrounding the team’s performance.
The social media think-pieces are flowing, and everyone is trying to figure out just how to fix the first-seeded Thunder. It’s the same song after every loss at this point, thiugh, the losses are so rare that it feels like a disaster every time this team loses. The truth is that the NBA is an ultra talented league, variance matters and sometimes shots don’t fall, and injuries are piling up for Oklahoma City.
The typical response to a deflating Thunder loss this season has included thoughts about how much Chet Holmgren changes the outcome of that said game. And thinking in general surrounding the trade deadline and the rest of the season, how much does Holmgren help out when added back into the lineup?
The answer is pretty clear: Holmgren is one of the most impactful players on this team, and honestly, maybe in the entire league. His two-way impact is nearly unmatched, and he is truthfully the missing piece to the Thunder’s current operation. It was on display as the Thunder ascended from the play-in to the No. 1 seed, but this team was made to succeed with Holmgren — not without. This team was built with the idea of who Holmgren is in mind.
Sure, the Thunder’s offense can dry up at times and get stale. How about adding 16.4 points on 37.8% from 3-point range to that mix? Oklahoma City tends to struggle with rebounding and rim protection against bigger teams, the bench unit especially. How about adding a 7-foot giant who grabs 8.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game?
The truth is, it’s hard to take away much from these regular season losses with Holmgren sidelined. He is such a critical piece to the Thunder’s operation, that he pretty much changes everything. It’s astounding that Oklahoma City has a 37-9 record while missing a player as impactful as he is.
The Thunder could certainly add another creator, another shooter, or front court depth, for luxury if nothing else. It’s hard to predict injuries and shooting slumps, so having an alternate option in the playoffs wouldn’t be a bad idea at all. But Oklahoma City doesn’t need to change much, if anything, at all. This team is getting arguably its second best player back at the trade deadline.
It gets tiring hearing about Holmgren’s absence after every loss, but that’s just the reality of the situation. Oklahoma City rarely loses, so every loss feels like the sky is falling. The Thunder miss Holmgren more than anyone realizes, and he will make this team infinitely better. And the team still has options to add secondary pieces at the deadline. All three of those things can be true when talking about the current state of the Thunder.
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