As the Thunder enters Round 2 with a lot of confidence, Chet Holmgren may well make the biggest difference in the coming showdown. Oklahoma City has owned the Los Angeles Lakers for the whole season, going 4-0 in the season series with serious margins of victory. If anything, this spells doom for LA, which barely survived in Round 1 against Houston.
OKC is a team that relies on its defense to win games. While their guards wreak havoc on the open floor, it is Holmgren who makes sure that no one dares touch the paint when he’s on watch. So far, that has been the story for the playoffs. Now it seems that Holmgren will also need to find a way to be active on the offensive end moving forward.
Chet Holmgren Is The X-Factor In Round 2
With the Thunder vs Lakers showdown in the midst, it seems that Holmgren may well step up and deliver for his team. He is, after all, an All-Star this season, and he has to continue proving that for the rest of the series.
Holmgren’s Defense Is Just Superb
While this isn’t the superhuman defense that Victor Wembanyama offers, Holmgren’s defense is as good as it gets. Most of Phoenix’s game has been all about attacking the paint, and the Gonzaga product has negated that well with his presence alone. As a defender, Holmgren averaged 2.0 blocks in four games, along with a total of eight for the whole series.
SGA:
"He's special man. I'm gonna sound like a broken record but since the day that Chet Holmgren played for the Oklahoma City Thunder we've been the 1st seed in the west. He anchors the best defense in the league"pic.twitter.com/AQ7D6VlyNW
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 23, 2026
He had those four big blocks in Game 2. However, what was underrated was how he influenced many of the Suns’ drives to the basket. Since Holmgren kept the paint locked down, Phoenix could not find any other way than to shoot from afar. Thunder guards have covered, allowing them to dominate in all four games with ease.
That’s the effect Holmgren has on the defensive end. And with the Lakers being a much worse team on the offensive end, it seems that this would be his chance to set some records of his own. Defense is his strong suit, and Holmgren will be crucial in deterring rim attackers like LeBron James moving forward.
Offense Has To Come Alive For Holmgren
One of the unique things about Holmgren is the lack of balance in his game. Having a strong defensive night means he’s slightly off on the offense. On the other hand, his offense thriving means he won’t be getting a whole lot of blocks on the other end. However, what’s quite alarming here is that he didn’t actually play well against Deandre Ayton. The former Suns center will be his main matchup for the series, and he only posted 11.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in all four regular-season games.
Chet Holmgren vs. Los Angeles Lakers 4/7/2026
15 PTS | 6-10 FG | W 123-87 pic.twitter.com/qwV8lOEpeg
— NBA Shooting Audit (@NBAShotAudit) April 8, 2026
If anything, this just sends a strong message — a need for Holmgren to step up. After all, there’s no Jalen Williams injury update, meaning he’s out for the West Semis until further notice. This means Ajay Mitchell will be getting more minutes, but more importantly, Holmgren needs to come alive.
Activating his offense should not be a tough ask. There have been 23 games in which Holmgren has scored more than 20 points for Oklahoma City. In 18 of those games, the Thunder center has at least logged a single block. He just has to figure out a way to balance his impact in the game.
OKC Needs Holmgren to be More Productive
Overall, it shouldn’t be hard to ask more from Holmgren heading into this series. So far, the center has averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in his first four games. There’s also his 24-point,12-rebound performance in the closeout game. This just means there’s plenty of potential for him to at least come up with a set of big games in the series against the Lakers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can certainly hold out on his own, but he’ll need Holmgren to step up and make an impact once more. OKC has a chance to carve its path to the Western Conference Finals, and it will be the Thunder center who will have the best chance to help them do so.
Featured Image: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
