Chet Holmgren's Iron Man Streak and What It Means For OKC Thunder in the NBA Playoffs

The Oklahoma City Thunder went from fielding questions of if Chet Holmgren's durability to com

Apr 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) drives / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder (55-25) are set to take on the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks (49-31) where Chet Holmgren is slated to play in his 81st game of the season with no. 82 looming on Sunday against the Mavericks.

After missing the entire 2022-23 season with a Lisfranc Fracture, many questioned if this 7-foot-1 195-pound big man would be able to hold up through the rigorous 82-game slate the NBA puts before him.

Back in September, Thunder General Manager Sam Presti fielded questions on whether Holmgren would even be able to withstand one back-to-back or need a load management like so many other modern NBA stars.

The 2nd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft was able to not just play big back-to-backs but not miss a single game. However, not from a lack of the team offering him days off.

"I mean, I missed so many games last year and I had to sit at the end of the bench or behind the bench so many times last year, I vowed to myself if I can physically go out there and play...If I can go out there and play and I feel like I can help our team in any way win, I'm going to go do that. You can let me die out there or wheel me off the floor in a wheelchair, but I am going to go out there and play if I can. Lord knows there were probably a few games I shouldn't have played this year that I still made it out there for. I am just extremely grateful for the opportunity to play and I never take that for granted," Holmgren told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski back in March.

On Friday, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was asked if Holmgren could use some rest after playing in every game this season after Oklahoma City stole the rookie some rest in the second night of a back-to-back against the Spurs.

"He's not interested in anything other than lacing them up," Daigneault said before the Thunder battled the Bucks on Friday.

Though, Oklahoma City's coach did say Holmgren will benefit from the five days off between game 82 and Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs, just as the rookie saw a production uptick the first games back after the All-Star break in Feb.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder 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.