Chet

Holmgren

The Thunder were already down Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, and Holmgren’s injury leaves the frontcourt without a true center. More minutes should be available for the likes of Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace and Ousmane Dieng, though it’s unclear how OKC’s rotations will look with no clear solution at the five.

Holmgren took a hard fall during the first half, falling directly on his right hip after attempting to challenge an Andrew Wiggins layup attempt. The Thunder phenom could not put any weight on his right leg while being helped to the locker room. Isaiah Joe started the third quarter, and an extended absence for Holmgren would also mean more minutes for Ousmane Dieng.

Holmgren thoroughly outplayed his Rockets counterpart, with Alperen Sengun shooting 3-of-12 from the field and scoring 11 points. Holmgren didn’t play during the fourth quarter, as the Thunder used a 44-point second quarter to remove any doubt regarding the outcome. As expected before the season began, Holmgren is providing top 20 per-game value, and it would be unsurprising if he were a 1st-round player by season’s end.

After foul trouble led to Holmgren recording a meager stat line (outside of the five blocked) in Friday’s win over Portland, he stayed on the floor on Saturday. The Thunder big man did not commit a foul in the win over the Clippers. While the scoring wasn’t there, Holmgren did a little of everything as Oklahoma City moved to 6-0 on the season.

This was disappointing for fantasy managers and bettors who viewed Friday’s game as an opportunity for Holmgren to produce a massive stat line. The Thunder big man got into early foul trouble, and once things got out of hand, there was no need for Mark Daigneault to push his stars too far. So, Holmgren only played 18 minutes. The offensive value wasn’t there, but he managed to block five shots in 18 minutes on the floor. Nights like this haven’t been the norm for Holmgren, so remain calm.

Holmgren had five turnovers, but was effective in all facets of the game in the big matchup with Victor Wembanyama. Holmgren scored 19 points on 10 shots and made all of his three point attempts and free throw attempts. He was +8 in 28 minutes. The Thunder have the day off on Thursday before starting a road back-to-back against the Trail Blazers and Clippers.

After blocking six shots in Oklahoma City’s first two games, Holmgren recorded six more against the Hawks. While the consensus was that he would improve after a stellar rookie season, fantasy managers may not have expected this. It’s early, but Holmgren looks like a player who should have been a first-round lock in standard league drafts. Oklahoma City plays three games in Week 2, beginning with the Spurs on Wednesday.

While many expected Holmgren to progress in his second season, he’s been sensational through two games. The lingering question is how he will mesh with Isaiah Hartenstein once the former Knick returns from a broken hand, but that may not be an issue. Chet has looked incredibly comfortable on the floor thus far, and it may not matter if he plays the four or the five once iHart returns.

Holmgren was sensational in Thursday’s season opener, impacting the action on both ends of the floor. While the eventual return of Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) means that Oklahoma City’s second-year stud will have to spend some time at the four, that’s unlikely to happen until after Thanksgiving. With Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams also sidelined, Holmgren will have the runway to throw up some elite stat lines. That’s precisely what happened in Denver.

This is a major blow for the Thunder, as Hartenstein has long been viewed as one of the Thunder’s key offseason acquisitions. The former New York Knicks Center averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game last season. Fantasy managers with Chet Holmgren should expect him to carry a heavier workload early on in 2024-25.