What Chet Holmgren’s Injury Means for the OKC Thunder

Oklahoma City lost its star center to injury Sunday night. What does that mean for the team moving forward?

Nov 6, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) lines up a shoot in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Things went from bad to worse for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. 

In the first quarter, star center Chet Holmgren went for a contest on an Andrew Wiggins layup, and landed hard on his right hip. He stayed on the floor for a bit, before being carried off with the help of his teammates.

Early Monday morning, the Thunder provided an official update on Holmgren: "Holmgren sustained a right iliac wing fracture during the first quarter of Sunday’s contest against the Golden State Warriors. Holmgren is expected to return during the 2024-25 season, and an update on his return-to-play protocol will be provided in eight-to-ten weeks,"

OKC would eventually go down as many as 28 points in the game, unable to launch a second-half comeback where they pulled within six. The loss is a blip on the large radar that is an 82-game season, but Holmgren’s exit and unknown return timeline is magnitudinous for OKC. And to make matters worse, the entire rest of its front court rotation — Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams — are also out with injury.

Drafted at No. 2 in the 2022 NBA Draft, there’s likely no player with more claim to the Thunder’s turnaround than the 7-footer himself. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has paved the way with two-way play at point guard, but Holmgren’s very presence changes the entire dynamic of the Thunder, as shown by his first season leading to 57 wins and the No. 1 seed.

The Thunder are without its DNA-changing titan for the foreseeable future. Long-term, they'll need Holmgren back in the lineup to stand at chance at the coveted NBA Finals — he's simply that valuable to the team. But his season doesn't seem to be in question.

So, where do they go from here? Simply put, they’ll need to tread water until Hartenstein’s return.

The team is no stranger to small-ball, deploying five-guard lineups often. But this will be entirely new waters, likely without Holmgren for the first time in over a year. Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Lu Dort and Alex Caruso are going to have to find ways to rebound and defend bigs in tandem for the next few weeks.

Additionally, players like Ousmane Dieng and Dillon Jones will need to bring their A-game in order to provide some length. So far, both have put up solid performances this season, but they’ll now be relied on.

Once back, Hartenstein will be able to provide the 7-foot punch that OKC requires. He doesn't quite have the same prowess from beyond the arc, but he packs a simliar swing in terms of rebounding, shot-blocking, and even more in the screening and interior scoring departments.

The Thunder now look to the second half of a back-to-back against the LA Clippers on Monday night at 7 p.m. In the next two weeks, they'll see matchups against the Suns, Mavericks and Kings.

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