From Bed Rest to Building a Dynasty: Chet Holmgren Pushes Thunder’s Pursuit of a Repeat
chet-holmgren-comeback-thunder-2025-season
Oklahoma City — Seven weeks after turning 23, Chet Holmgren lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Ten days later, the Oklahoma City Thunder center forced himself back into the gym, determined to reclaim the muscle he felt had “washed away” during six weeks of post-injury bed rest.
Pelvis Fracture Tested Resolve
Holmgren’s darkest NBA moment arrived on Nov. 11, 2024, the Thunder’s 10th game of last season. While contesting a baseline drive by Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, Holmgren crashed hip-first onto the hardwood and suffered a fractured pelvis. Teammates Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams carried him to the locker room; Holmgren spent a week in the hospital and three more confined to bed on his left side.
“You’re not even living, you’re just surviving,” Holmgren told ESPN, recalling what he called “solitary confinement.” Two additional weeks on crutches followed before rehabilitation could begin.
Return Sparks Championship Run
The 7-footer missed 39 regular-season games but rejoined the Thunder in February 2025, shifting to power forward alongside offseason signee Hartenstein. Holmgren started all 23 playoff contests, averaging 15.2 points in 29.8 minutes and finishing second league-wide with 43 postseason blocks. In Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, he delivered 18 points, eight rebounds and five blocks as Oklahoma City secured its first title of the era.
Despite the ring, Holmgren was dissatisfied. He shot 29.7% from three in the playoffs and, watching film, felt his release lagged and his movement lacked “pop.”
Off-Season Work and Massive Extension
Less than a month after the championship, the Thunder rewarded Holmgren’s accelerated recovery and production with a five-year, $240.7 million extension signed July 9, 2025. The deal positions him, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to consume a combined $123.8 million of next season’s cap and $150.6 million in 2027-28.
Fast Start to 2025-26
With Williams sidelined the first 19 games by a wrist injury, Holmgren expanded his role. Entering December, Oklahoma City holds a league-best 20-1 record and a historic plus-15.5 point differential. Holmgren is posting career highs of 18.2 points on 55.5% shooting, while converting 75% of his attempts at the rim.
Defensively, he continues to anchor the paint. According to GeniusIQ, opponents are shooting 39.9% when Holmgren contests, the best mark among players with at least 250 challenges this season. Since entering the league, he has allowed a 46.4% effective field-goal rate on 2,000 contested shots, trailing only Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert.
Team Balancing Act
Williams returned this week, yet Holmgren still supplied 23 and 19 points on 17-for-28 combined shooting over two wins. Head coach Mark Daigneault said Holmgren now attempts 73% of his open looks, up from 62% last year, calling the jump “very encouraging.” Gilgeous-Alexander added that Holmgren “doesn’t fade physically” and compared his potential mid-post growth to Dirk Nowitzki’s evolution.
Holmgren, who has played just 131 regular-season games since being drafted No. 2 in 2022, insists the championship only intensified his drive. “Everyone on the team is striving and chasing for more,” he said. “The championship wasn’t the last check on their bucket list.”
Source: ESPN
