Chet Holmgren's Early-Season Leap Could be Huge for OKC Thunder

The Thunder knew their big man could become a star, and that transformation is happening in his third season.

When Oklahoma City drafted Chet Holmgren at No. 2 overall in 2022, it knew what kind of potential the Gonzaga product had. With comparisons to guys like Kevin Durant coming out of college, there was always some hope that he would develop into a superstar.

Of course, that development was hindered because of injuries throughout his first three years after getting drafted. Now in his third year of NBA action, Holmgren has taken advantage of his opportunities early.

In Monday’s win in New Orleans, Holmgren displayed one of the many reasons why the Thunder are such a scary team moving forward. He finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting while adding nine rebounds and a block.

Showing his abilities on the perimeter and close to the basket, Holmgren’s leap in year three might be the final piece to the Thunder’s big three puzzle. Despite coming into this season as the established third option behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, Holmgren has shown he can rise to the occasion on any given night and handle the load of being the second guy, as Williams has yet to play this season.

This season, Holmgren has averaged 19.9 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 40.4% from three and 59.1% from the floor, all career highs. Also averaging a career-high 4.6 free-throw attempts a night, Holmgren is finding a variety of ways to get his points.

Despite all of the incredible performances Holmgren has put together this season and his immense talent on both ends, the most encouraging part about his hot start is what he hasn’t been able to do yet. With Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams out of the lineup, Mark Daigneault has been hesitant to play Holmgren at center, with most of his minutes coming alongside Isaiah Hartenstein or Jaylin Williams.

Considering how Holmgren has already been finding advantages against typically more athletic forwards, his ability to show his skills against centers who can’t hang with him on the perimeter could take Oklahoma City to another level offensively. Even then, his numbers might not increase too much as he settles back into the role of third option, but his impact could be as large as anyone on the team.

Everyone knew that Holmgren had this type of leap in him, but it’s becoming a reality this season, which is scary for the rest of the league.