How Will Chet Holmgren's Return Affect Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP Case?

Oklahoma City might not be making any big swings at the trade deadline, but it is getting a massive addition.

On Thursday morning, the Thunder released their injury report for Friday’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors. Most notably, Chet Holmgren was not on the list, signaling his return after missing nearly three months with a pelvic fracture.

While most teams might have fallen off a cliff without a rising star who could’ve made his first All-Star team and competed for Defensive Player of the Year, the Thunder have been dominant. Sitting at 40-9, the Thunder have the best record in the league, which is thanks in no small part to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In Wednesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, the MVP favorite dropped 50 points for the third time this season and helped the Thunder cruise to a 31-point win after trailing at halftime. Shooting 18-of-29 from the floor, Gilgeous-Alexander’s shotmaking has been nothing short of spectacular.

With the highest usage rate of his career, Gilgeous-Alexander is also leading the league in scoring at 32.8 points per game. With Holmgren back in the picture, his usage and scoring average could drop, but it might actually help his MVP case.

Holmgren is a 7-foot-1 star who was averaging 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks while shooting 51.9% from the floor and 40% from three in his nine full games before injury. Holmgren’s leap in his second season made it seem like a crushing blow to the Thunder’s title hopes and chances of getting the No. 1 seed.

Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander has carried the load in his absence, and Holmgren’s return should make that feat seem even more impressive. Arguably the Thunder’s best defender, Holmgren has the potential to take the league-leading defense to another level.

While the Thunder have excelled in just about every area defensively, Holmgren will add a rim protection element the team has been missing. Offensively, Holmgren was averaging 12 shots a game, which will inevitably take some looks away from the Thunder’s superstar guard.

However, Holmgren’s gravity inside and out could lead to consistently better looks for Gilgeous-Alexander and make scoring even easier for the young star.

In any case, Oklahoma City should be much improved with Holmgren back and should run away with the No. 1 seed in the West. Considering Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance this season and the Thunder’s status at the top of the league, Holmgren’s return should only help bring another MVP trophy to Oklahoma City.

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.