The Thunder Would Benefit From More Confidence From Deep By Chet Holmgren

The Thunder big man has taken fewer three-point attempts over the years, and could benefit his game and the Thunder's overall if he gets his numbers back up.

May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) during the third quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder’s big man could benefit from improved play from beyond the arc. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have their sights set on next season after falling short this year in the conference finals. OKC’s season was an impressive one, but there are always areas where both the team and certain players can continue to grow. 

Chet Holmgren, for example, will be going into the fourth year of his career and still has plenty of room to flourish and become the star that OKC knows he can be. To do so, he will have to continue to be a dominant force down low and will have to show up for Oklahoma City when they need it most. However, one thing that could really catapult Holmgren to the next level would be growing his game from deep. 

The big man’s shot from three isn’t bad by any means, but it has regressed since he has been in the league. This past season, Holmgren attempted 3.5 shots from three per game and hit 36.2% of them. This might not seem horrible for a big man, but these numbers are the lowest Holmgren has put up in a season. 

Holmgren used to have more confidence from deep, as in his rookie year, he hit 37% of his shots from deep, and averaged 4.3 shots from three per game. Now, as the Thunder big is continuing to get accustomed to the NBA, he could benefit greatly from finding that confidence from three once again. 

Holmgren being a threat at all times from deep would not only make him way more dangerous, but it would open the Thunder’s offense up greatly. Sure, Holmgren has brought big men out to the perimeter before, but he hasn’t truly punished a team for doing that, it seems. Teams would have to respect Holmgren greatly on the perimeter and either bring their big out to a land they aren’t familiar with, or it would create a mismatch for him to go to work. 

We have seen this with Victor Wembanyama, as teams have had trouble with how much he can do on the court. While Holmgren isn’t quite to that level yet, teams could start to feel the exact same way about him if he develops that shot. 

OKC is looking for every possible way to improve after falling short this year and won’t stop at anything to get the job done. Holmgren continuing to evolve his three-point shot might not be the exact thing that gets them back over the hump, but it will definitely help.