Chet Holmgren Convinced OKC Thunder to Let Him Play Instead of Rest

The Oklahoma City Thunder have worked Chet Holmgren back from a devastating foot injury without load management as the rookie is determined to play every game he possibly can.

You can not get back lost time, but after missing the entire 2022-23 NBA campaign Chet Holmgren is trying his best to get back the time he lost on the court. After suffering a LisFranc Fracture last August, Holmgren had to live life on the sidelines and is now playing every chance he gets. 

So far in the 2023-24 NBA season, Holmgren has not missed a game playing in all 64 of the Thunder's contests to this point. He joined ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast Tuesday to discuss his rookie campaign. 

"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 Wojnarowski. 

Coming into this season, the talk around the Gonzaga product was would the Thunder have to load manage the rookie? A common practice in the modern NBA. Holmgren was asked if the Thunder had suggested a rest plan with him.

"There was an instance where it was suggested to me [to take a rest day] and credit to our management, our coaching staff and our medical team. They really see this as a partnership and a collaboration. They came to me, they gave me their point of view and they listened to my point of view. At the end of the conversation we were able to come to a conclusion, both sides were able to kinda live with that conclusion and I ended up going out there and playing," Holmgren said on the Woj Pod. 

So far this season the Thunder big man is averaging 16.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.1 stocks per game with efficient shooting splits of 53/38/78.

With the big man projected to play tonight against Indiana, his new Iron Man streak will be bumped to 65 straight games. 

---

EXCLUSIVE: After a Long Rehab Process Adam Flagler Is Grateful To Return to the Court

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.