Chet Holmgren‘s consistency has often been questioned, especially with OKC gunning for a title. But after a whopping 29-point comeback led by the center, the odds have now shifted. With his huge Game 3 against Memphis, is it safe to say that there are no more Chet Holmgren consistency issues for OKC moving forward in the playoffs?
Is it the End of the Chet Holmgren Consistency Issues for OKC’s Playoff Run?
Chet Holmgren’s Role in the Thunder Comeback
There are a lot of takeaways when it comes to the Thunder’s huge comeback, from the two-way performance of Alex Caruso, the hustle and defense by the Thunder overall, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing through foul trouble, and the absolute domination by Holmgren in the second half of the game.
If you watched the game, then you’d know that Holmgren’s stats in the first half were a disaster. The big man shot 0-4 from the field, including 0-2 from three. He had a turnover and two fouls to account for. After blazing through the first two games, you’d expect him to even make both of his two free throw attempts in the half. Spoiler alert, he only made one out of two.
Chet Holmgren on the TNT postgame: “It wasn’t pretty early on. We were playing football damn near all night. Pardon my language.”
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) April 25, 2025
The Thunder center responded to the call in the second half and looked like his Game 1 and 2 self. Holmgren dropped 23 of his 24 points in the second half on 8-12 shooting. That included five big threes to help cut the Memphis lead to 95-87 by the end of the third quarter. Chet Holmgren’s consistency was on display. He was the only player in the game to score more than 20 points in the second half. In hindsight, no other player scored more than 15 points from both teams in that stretch.
Chet Holmgren played at his best, stretching the floor. One such play was when Chet rotated from the baseline and spaced the floor. Alex Caruso went for a drive and earned the attention of three defenders, and kicked it out to the big man on the wing. Holmgren calmly drilled the three to tie the game at 108 with 2:39 to go.
Chet Holmgren with the clutch 3-pointer to tie the gamepic.twitter.com/BOOMlkiXcW
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 25, 2025
The rest was pure chaos. Holmgren sank two foul shots with 57 seconds left to extend OKC’s lead to 111-108. Then he secured a rebound that led to a Caruso layup to ice the game. The Thunder went on to win 114-108 and now has a commanding 3-0 lead.
Is There a Chet Holmgren Consistency Issue?
In his first playoff run, Holmgren averaged 15 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. He played a total of 10 games and shot 49.6% from the field, but was 26% from three. In comparison, Holmgren is currently averaging 21.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. His shooting percentage dipped a bit, but his three-point shooting improved well at 50%.
everybody act tough when they up 😂 pic.twitter.com/tUdX04eay0
— 𝙎𝙠𝙮𝙚𝙙 🇦🇺 (@SkyedOKC) April 25, 2025
Consistency was the main issue for OKC when they were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the semis. Rebounding has not been much of a concern this year as the Thunder has solved it with their double-big scheme. With SGA likely winning MVP and Jalen Williams in prime playoff form, this is looking like a promising run for the Thunder.
The Chet Holmgren consistency talks throughout the playoffs will be a huge factor in their success. It took some time for the big to return to form since missing 39 games dating back to November 10 after that hard fall against the Golden State Warriors. So far, Chet Holmgren’s injury has been a thing of the past, and least of worry for Thunder fans at this point.
Right now, the 22-year-old center is making waves for the Thunder. OKC is looking to be the first team to sweep a series in this year’s playoffs, and Holmgren’s consistency has certainly played a huge role in their success.
Photo credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
