Will Chet Holmgren Play In All 82 OKC Thunder Games Again?

Oklahoma City’s big man made a strong impression suiting up in every single game a season ago.

Oct 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) drives to the basket beside Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Chet Holmgren had one of the most impressive and impactful rookie seasons we’ve seen in a long time. After his season-ending injury following the 2022 NBA Draft, there were plenty of concerns about his NBA career, most of them unwarranted, too.

Holmgren was quick to prove people wrong, though, making a massive two-way impact and helping the Thunder to the best record in the Western Conference. He established himself as one of the best young big men in the NBA and proved his No. 2 draft selection was warranted. He has an extremely high ceiling with lots of room to grow, too.

Perhaps the most impressive part about his rookie campaign wasn’t the stats, impact, or accolades though. After pre-draft concerns regarding his frame, durability, and his weight, coupled with the season-ending injury, Holmgren silenced doubters by playing in every single Thunder game — regular season and playoffs.

Despite his stamina decreasing over the course of the season, he played through bumps and bruises to make a point. Holmgren has been a big proponent of rewarding fans for coming to watch him play, and had a lot of critics to silence, too.

Now that his first full season is out of the way, does it really make sense for Holmgren to play 82 games again? If he’s feeling good, with no bumps or bruises, maybe so. But if it’s to the detriment of Holmgren and the team, there’s no reason to try and push for every single game again. Oklahoma City has true depth at the forward spot now, and Holmgren needs to be playing his best ball when playoffs roll around.

“I honestly don't know how to answer that one,” Holmgren said when asked about potentially playing a full season again. “If I'm healthy and I'm kind of itching to get out there and play, but there's a million different factors throughout the season that you can't plan for. I didn't want it to be detrimental for myself or my team to go out and chase that. 

“I felt at times last year I was definitely making some sacrifices to play in some games that I probably shouldn't have. Who knows? We'll see.”

Playing 82 games again would be great, but Holmgren’s longterm health is much more important. He is one of the key pieces to the Thunder’s future success and could develop into one of the best big men in the league. He shouldn’t try and push to play 82 games just to say he did it. His health is crucial to the Thunder’s ceiling moving forward.

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