Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren has accomplished a lot in three active seasons. As a one-time All-Star, All-NBA player, and NBA champion, he’s already proven himself as one of the game’s elite centers. Best of all, at just 24, he still has most of his entire career ahead of him.
Coming off the 2026 playoffs (where they lost in the Conference Finals), the entire Thunder team will be playing with a chip on their shoulder, and it’s no different for Chet. Looking ahead to the season, he says he’s excited about the opportunity for redemption and looks forward to rejoining his teammates on the court.
“I’m excited. I mean, I’ve been on the court all summer,” said Holmgren in a chat with ClutchPoints. “I’m excited to get back to OKC with the guys and get back to work.”
Holmgren, who was drafted 2nd overall in 2022, is a core member of the Thunder, and he’s essential to their team identity. In every season he’s played, Chet has made steady progress, going from 16.5 points per game in 2023-24 to 17.1 points per game in 2025-26 (along with 8.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game on 55.7% shooting from the field). Despite his progress, Chet’s player rating on NBA 2K has gone down, sliding to 86 overall after peaking at 88 last year.
“Yeah, I mean, I saw it at the end of the day. You know, whatever they put it at, it’s up to you whether it goes up and down,” Holmgren said. “So I definitely think that 2K did some rate hikes, I guess, to stop inflation. So they brought a lot of the average overall down, it definitely came down a lot. So, you know, at the end of the day, you’re always trying to get your rating up.”
The dip no doubt has to do with Holmgren’s performance in the Finals, which left much to be desired. He struggled to contain Victor Wembanyama, leading to his worst series yet, averaging just 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks across seven games. He will need to be better for the Thunder to return to the Finals.
The good news is that Chet is determined to make things right, and he’ll have plenty of help along the way. While he’s content with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s leadership, he shared his impossible dream of playing alongside legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant, which shows the kind of athlete he looks up to: basketball purists with an unmatched work ethic.
“Ooh, that’s a tough one,” Holmgren added. “Yeah, I don’t know. Can I maybe give a starting five? Obviously, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, I’d say like OKC Kevin Durant, and one more. I’d say 2011 Dirk Nowitzki.”
Holmgren won’t be so lucky to share the court with Jordan, Kobe, or Durant, but he’s not too concerned with “what-if” scenarios anyway. With the Thunder in a position to compete for many years to come, Chet’s biggest goal is to maximize his time in OKC and become the best player he possibly can for them.
After his recent Finals performance, some believe Holmgren could be expendable, but the Thunder will run it back at least one more time before making any rash decisions. In the end, they still believe in their star big man, and he plans to reward their faith with his best season yet.
