The Key To Thunder’s Continued Success

When talking to people in and around the Oklahoma City Thunder organization about Chet Holmgren, what makes him special is the way he approaches the game of basketball. While he’s a 7-footer with a generational skillset, it’s more than just his tools that will drive his path to stardom at the NBA level. It’s his elite competitiveness and desire to be the best player on the court every time he touches it.

“On the court, he’s a competitor, kid wants to be good,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the close of the season. “I think that’s the biggest thing. He wants to be really good and he wants to prove himself to the world. That fire in him is impressive. think he’s gonna be a heck of a basketball player. I 100% believe that.”

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With Oklahoma City really making strides towards being a consistent playoff team once again, there will be significant weight on Holmgren’s shoulders next season when he returns from injury, whether that’s fair or not. Externally, the Thunder will be viewed as a team primed to make another leap and earn a spot in the playoffs. When looking at some of OKC’s major deficiencies last season, most notably perimeter shooting, rebounding and paint protection, the 7-footer helps with all of the above.

The former top player in his high school class, Holmgren thrived in one season at Gonzaga before being selected second overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, earning a 12.0 C-RAM (gold rating) with a 95 DSI according to Cerebro Sports. In what was a Second Team All-American campaign as a freshman, he produced 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 61% from floor and 39% from deep. These numbers clearly indicate how much he should help Oklahoma City, especially defensively.

“Chet being a rim protector, he’s gonna clean a lot of things at the rim. That’s something I’m really looking forward to,” said Lu Dort recently.

We got a glimpse of this at NBA Summer League before Holmgren’s injury, as he proved to be an elite shot blocker and made a significant impact on the Thunder’s defensive efficiency.

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“I’m looking forward to playing with Chet,” said Kenrich Williams. “Knowing we got some rim protection back there. Certain games, you’re like, Chet would be big for this game.”

Holmgren projects to be an immediate starter next season at center. As such, all eyes will be on him in his first NBA season as the team pivots from an underdog to a squads with expectations.

While he wasn’t able to play at all in the 2022-23 campaign, there’s still a ton Holmgren was able to learn just being around the team. For starters, he worked out and rehabbed in an NBA system and traveled with the team for most of the season. Just learning to be a professional and seeing what it takes to be successful is half of the battle for young players, so that was valuable experience for the former No. 2 pick.

“He learned a ton. Just the day-to-day approach,” Thunder GM Sam Presti recently said of Holmgren. “Walking into a building where you’re seeing everything else you want happening in front of you every day and staying that consistent…He’s got a mind that’s different.”

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Having the right approach and mindset is everything in the NBA. Again, Holmgren seems to have that piece figured out at a young age as Presti further confirmed with his comments.

Although Holmgren was somewhat limited on what he could do physically for most of the past season, that didn’t mean he couldn’t improve as a player in ways off the court. Being around veterans, watching each game live from the sideline and digging into film were all things he focused on.

Even before his injury, Holmgren talked at NBA Summer League about how much film he watches to become more self aware on what he needs to improve and to study other players.

“I’m a basketball junkie. I watch every game and look for something I can add to my game,” said Holmgren in July.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault confirmed this at Media Day before the start of the recent season, talking about how much Holmgren could learn while being sidelined.

“He’s already on track to be cutting and watching his own film,” said Daigneault in September. “He’s a junkie and he’ll be able to pour his energy into that.”

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When you combine the size, skill and ‘it factor’ that Holmgren brings to the table, it’s clear that the sky is the limit with what type of player he can be. To be great, there’s a mental aspect to preparation and work, which he clearly has. Holmgren also has the luxury of being around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has similar unique traits that have allowed him to emerge as one of the best players in the league.

Holmgren playing in NBA Summer League in July hasn’t been ruled out, as Presti recently indicated it all depends on how far along the 20-year-old is.

“It’s possible,” said Presti. “We’ll see when we get to that point. He’s got a lot of time between now and then. He’ll want to play for sure.”

Regardless of when Holmgren plays next, he’ll have the opportunity to push the Oklahoma City Thunder to the next level of success.