The Oklahoma City Thunder are sitting exactly where they were projected to be, first place in the Northwest Division. However, the Thunder suffered their first player injury since Chet Holmgren missed his entire rookie season. Unfortunately for the Thunder, their young big man was once again hurt and will miss significant time.
According to the Thunder, Holmgren suffered a right iliac wing fracture after taking a hard fall during the first quarter of the team’s loss to Golden State on Sunday. The team said that Holmgren is out for at least 8 to 10 weeks.
How Oklahoma City Thunder Navigate Chet Holmgren’s Injury And When The Young Big Slated To Return
Oklahoma City sits atop the Northwest Division and is tied with Golden State and Phoenix with an 8-2 record. Both of the Thunder’s setbacks have come over the last three games. OKC fell to Denver (124-122) on November 6 and Golden State (127-116) last night.
Holmgren, who missed the entire season the year he was drafted (2022-23) with a foot injury, was producing similar numbers to last season when he finished runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting to Victor Wembanyama. Ball handling was his really only weakness last season.
Holmgren’s Second-Year Growth
While the 7-1 big could still improve his ball-handling, he has shown improvement in other areas. Holmgren is a little more efficient, compiling 1.5 points per shot, as he has shot the ball slightly better from the 3-point line. More importantly, he gets to the free-throw line more frequently. In terms of shooting, he’s knocking down 3-pointers from the corners at a 42.9% clip, which was 10% better than the season before.
Holmgren was also better on the defensive end, especially around the rim, where he is developing into an elite rebounder and rim protector. The 22-year-old averages 16.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists with a shooting slash line of 50.5/37.8/77.6. He has produced four double-doubles and has scored in double-figures eight times, topping the 20-point mark on four occasions.
“Can’t tell if I feel better or worse about this, having been through something similar before,” Holmgren wrote on X. “On one hand I know how to approach it, I know what to do, what not to do and how beautiful the other side is. But on the other hand, I’ve felt the frustration of this process and the wear it puts on your mind. Most of all, I’m hurt, and I can’t help my teammates and play for our fans and supporters for a while. Everyone who sticks with me and our team, along with my need for hoops, is a big part of my passion to return. Don’t pity me or feel bad, there’s lots of people out there right now with real problems that don’t heal. Anyways, excuse my rambling. I just wanted to address our OKC fans and family.”
How Will The Thunder Replace Holmgren?
Based on OKC’s own timeline, the earliest the Thunder plan to reevaluate him is mid-January. Let’s say Holmgren is reevaluated then. He likely won’t play for at least another week as he will then begin to ramp up his recovery.
Therefore, the earliest Holmgren projects to return to the court is the end of January. In that case, Holmgren would miss 30+ games.
Oklahoma City starts its journey with Holmgren against the Los Angeles Clippers amidst a season-high six-game homestand. OKC has split the first two games of the homestand, defeating Houston before falling to the Warriors. The Thunder are 4-1 at home thus far.
OKC is one of the deepest teams in the league, as 10 players average at least 12 minutes a game. However, none of those 10 players are true centers, with third-year forward Ousmane Dieng seeing 12.2 minutes a game at the five. Dieng is undersized at 216 pounds and is not a good rebounder, though he is holding his own defensively.
The Thunder purged Isaiah Hartenstein from the New York Knicks this summer by offering the 26-year-old a three-year deal with a guarantee of $58.5 million to bolster their frontcourt. But Hartenstein has been sidelined since fracturing his hand in the preseason. He is not slated to be available til December 3.
Jaylin Williams served as Holmgren’s primary backup last season and does have starting experience. However, the 22-year-old hasn’t played this season and suffered a setback while recovering from his hamstring injury. He is out until at least early December.
Kenrich Williams Active For First Time
On the plus side, veteran Kenrich Williams is active for tonight’s game against the Clippers, per Oklahoman Joe Lorenzi earlier today. It is the first time all season that Williams hasn’t been sidelined while recovering from a knee procedure.
Kenrich Williams no longer listed on the Thunder’s injury report. Had missed the preseason and OKC’s regular season to this point after a right knee procedure in September. Had been ramping back up with G League practices.
Williams is in his sixth season with the Thunder and has been a major rotational player for the first four years, mainly due to his versatility, defense, and rebounding. But the near 30-year-old forward saw his role reduce last season, seeing just 14.0 minutes a game.
Williams practiced with the G-League Oklahoma City Blue on Saturday. So, while Williams is not guaranteed to play, the Thunder are playing the second of a back-to-back. Also, the Thunder are shorthanded up front.
In addition to the three previously mentioned injured players, rookie Nikola Topic (out for the season) is also out. Thus, the Thunder will have 14 players active, including rookies Dillon Jones and Malvey Leons.
Coach Mark Daigneault is expected to go with a small starting lineup for the foreseeable future. Jalen Williams is slated to start at center alongside Aaron Wiggins in the frontcourt. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and Cason Wallace will likely start together for the fifth time.
That leaves Dieng, Williams, Jones, and perhaps Leons as the most likely players to see an uptick in minutes. However, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe could also see increased time if the Thunder want to maximize their small-ball lineup.
Thunder Could Add Another Big?
With OKC projected to be shorthanded for the next three weeks, the Thunder may decide to scour the free-agent market. The Thunder have 15 players on standard contracts, although they have plenty of flexibility. Jaylin Williams and Leons are on nonguaranteed deals.
OKC is $8 million from being a tax team, so the Thunder can bring in a center until their bigs get healthy. Current free agent Bismack Biyombo makes the most sense as he would provide the Thunder with rebounding and a shot-blocker. The 32-year-old forward spent the last two months of last season with the Thunder, appearing in 10 games, after playing 30 games for Memphis to begin the 2023-24 campaign.
JaVale McGee and Frank Kaminsky would also seem to be options. The Thunder are also $16 million clear of the first tax apron, where they are hard-capped. They have plenty of draft capital if they need to use it in a trade as unlikely as it is right now.
