What Will it Take for Chet Holmgren to Have Another Offensive Leap?

The Thunder's big man made his first All-NBA appearance in 2026, but there's more growing to do.

May 18, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward Chet Holmgren (7) shoots a free throw in the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game one of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

The 2025-26 NBA season didn't end the prettiest for Oklahoma City Thunder star center Chet Holmgren, nodding out in seven games to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, sitting one game away from returning to the NBA Finals. The loss stung more as it came in a series the Thunder could have very well taken home with just a slightly better performance from their All-NBA big man.

Holmgren averaged 10.7 points per game on 51% shooting in the Conference Finals, nearly seven points below his regular-season average. The Spurs defended him well, but he still showed multiple aspects of growth in just his third season in the NBA.

"I'd definitely say it sucks losing. It's hard for that to not overshadow everything else," Holmgren said in his postseason media availability. "But you also have to look at everything, understand where you've improved, understand where you still need to improve, and then kind of look at everything objectively and continue to put your head down and continue to work from there."

Holmgren is coming off the best regular season of his career, but still has plenty of growth to do to reach his full potential. Getting back to the mobility he had before his hip injury in 2024 would be the biggest step to take in order to have another step up in play on the offensive end of the floor in 2026-27.

The Gonzaga product was an incredibly fast-twitch offensive player before the injury. His jump shot was quicker and more fluid, he was more aggressive getting to the rim and he was explosive as a roller. Slower movements greatly harmed Holmgren during the Spurs series, being unable to get the ball off his fingertips from long range before a leaping defensive contest.

Holmgren struggled to get into a rhythm from 3-point range during the series, while his attempt-rate from distance has also shrunk.

"I feel like part of it was being kind of closed out heavy too, and then also kind of just being a little bit out of it at times," Holmgren said on his lack of shot attempts during the Conference Finals. "I feel like there were definitely opportunities to get more attempts up that I didn't in the moment, and that's an area to improve."

In order to make the next step on the offensive end of the floor, Holmgren's jumper will need to reach the speed it had in the past, removing the additional hitch in the process. He would push for All-NBA recognition once again.