Thunder Needs Chet Holmgren At His Best To Be a Contender

Chet Holmgren took the NBA by storm over the first half of the season. The rookie center was clearly Oklahoma City's missing piece and was thriving on both ends of the floor. His offensive efficiency was astounding, and his immediate impact raised the Thunder's ceiling.

Over the last few weeks, Holmgren has faltered a bit offensively. Although he has still been effective and the sample size is small, he has hit a bit of a slump. Oklahoma City is still winning games at a high rate, but the impact he had early on hasn't quite been the same.

Over the last 10 games, his efficiency is still high at 54.1% from the floor but his 3-point shot has taken a hit. He's shooting just 34.1% from long range. It wouldn't even be worth batting an eye if he hadn't started off so hot from deep. Over the last five, he's shooting just 45.2% from the floor, 25% from 3-point range and 50% from the free throw line. Coincidentally, the Thunder dropped two winnable road games to both Los Angeles teams.

Again, it's a small sample size, and a mid-season slump was to be expected. But Oklahoma City is a different team when Holmgren is drilling triples and knocking down shots on the offensive end.

Clearly, the team is still good during Holmgren's slump. Oklahoma City marched into Utah and won a heated road game on Thursday night. No matter how bad it gets for the Thunder's young talents, this is likely still a team locked into the playoffs because of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

But if Holmgren's 3-point shot reappears and his offensive efficiency takes off again, the Thunder could be a legitimate contender. It sounds crazy to say about the third youngest team in the NBA, but this is the same group that knocked off the Celtics, Nuggets and Wolves in a 10-game span.

If Holmgren is playing at an elite level, the potential of the team is special. He holds the keys to an unforgettable end-of-the-season run.

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