The Oklahoma City Thunder may be champions, but they’ve only scratched the surface of their potential as a team. In a chat with fans on Snapchat this week, star big man Chet Holmgren revealed his offseason work so far and explained that the best is yet to come.
“I come back with something every summer, something new, something that I work on,” said Holmgren. “I just gotta stay healthy.”
The young big man missed all of the 2022-23 season with an injury, so fans were excited when he was able to play all 82 games the following year. Unfortunately, his playtime was restricted again in 2024-25 when he was limited to 32 games due to a fractured right iliac wing that kept him out for three months.
“Last year, I was getting to all my different spots at the beginning, but I got hurt, and I didn’t quite feel like me when I came back,” Chet said. “I came back pretty quick, so I was able to get right this summer, and I feel like I got a lot more to show.”
Now that he’s fully recovered, Chet has been spending all summer in preparation to become even better than his pre-injury form. He plans to adjust his game to whatever the team needs as they work to pursue their second-straight championship.
“It also depends on what the team needs me to do with situations,” added Holmgren. “I end up seeing out there how other teams are guarding me, so I feel like I’ll work on what I see and I’ll feel pretty good about where I’m at once the season starts.”
There haven’t been back-to-back champs since the Golden State Warriors in 2018, but the Thunder have a great chance to add their name to history. With the NBA’s reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder have a capable leader and scorer to set the tone and dominate offensively. Last season, in 76 games, he averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 51.9% shooting.
They also have All-Star swingman Jalen Williams, who put up 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game on 48.4% shooting. At just 24, he’s expected to take another leap in the upcoming season, and it will make the Thunder even harder to deal with.
Finally, there’s Chet. He’s only gotten to play one full season so far, where he averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, and there’s reason to believe that he’s capable of so much more. The 7’1″ big man out of Gonzaga is just 23 years old, and he finished second in rookie of the year voting in 2024.
While his size and length make Holmgren an excellent defender and shot-blocker, he can also stretch the floor with a career average of 37.2% shooting from beyond the arc. If he can stay healthy and gets a chance to use what he’s practiced this summer, it could elevate him to All-Star status next season and make the Thunder close to unbeatable.
