Chet

Holmgren

Despite scoring 21 points, Holmgren’s final game of the season wasn’t his best. More concerning than the 1-of-7 night from three was the rebounding, with the rookie only grabbing three. By comparison, Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II grabbed 15 by himself. Holmgren’s struggles to rebound prompted Thunder coach Mark Daigneault to go with a bigger lineup down the stretch, with Jaylin Williams (6/2/2/1/1 with one 3-pointer in 18 minutes) joining the rookie in the frontcourt. Overall, Holmgren had an excellent rookie campaign, finishing second to Victor Wembanyama in Rookie of the Year voting and providing top-20 per-game value in 9-cat formats. Based on his Yahoo ADP, Chet was expected by many to be a 4th-round player. Those days are over; he should not get out of the third round in standard league drafts, and that’s being conservative.

Gilgeous-Alexander had another big scoring night, as he’s scored at least 29 points in all five games in this series. However, he didn’t have as much help as needed, with Chet Holmgren (13/4/1/0/1 with one 3-pointer) being the best of the rest. Dallas is making SGA work, but he continues to get his numbers. Whether or not the Thunder can force a Game 7 on Saturday night depends on whether SGA’s supporting cast increases its production.

Holmgren blocked four shots in the first quarter of Game 3, which would be it for his production in that category. The rookie has been solid this series, but the advantage in athleticism that he experienced against New Orleans has not been there. And Oklahoma City having two non-shooters in its starting lineup doesn’t help matters concerning offensive spacing. We’ve seen adjustments to account for that in the last two games, with Josh Giddey’s playing time decreasing sharply, but the Thunder need more from Holmgren and the other non-SGA rotation players to win this series.

Having scored 19 points in Oklahoma City’s Game 1 win over Dallas, Holmgren’s production took a significant hit in Game 2. He shot 33.3% from the field, but the good news is that he was able to record six assists. Dallas, with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, offers more athleticism in the middle than New Orleans’ Jonas Valanciunas did in the first round. Holmgren can still be effective, as evidenced by his play in Game 1, but it won’t be easy. He’ll look to bounce back in Game 3 on Saturday in Dallas, with the teams tied at 1-all.

Holmgren did a bit of everything in this game, which included plenty of production on the defensive end. After failing to record a defensive stat in their closeout win over the Pelicans, Holmgren got back on track in this one. While the steals and blocks are nice for DFS leagues, his defensive impact goes beyond the box score. Holmgren is a big reason why the Thunder has yet to allow 100 points in a game so far during this postseason. They’ll look to keep that streak going in Game 2 against Dallas on Thursday.

Holmgren improved upon his previous outing in his second-ever playoff game. He led all players in blocks and only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored more points in the contest. The rookie’s performance can help him carry confidence into his first road playoff game.

Holmgren and the Thunder had their hands full with Jonas Valanciunas (20 rebounds), but the rookie power forward/center held his own on Sunday. Making his first postseason appearance, Holmgren recorded a double-double and blocked five shots. One of those five rejections was of a Larry Nance Jr. layup attempt that would have given New Orleans a two-point lead with a little under one minute remaining. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would record a three-point play on the ensuing possession, giving OKC a lead it would not relinquish. Holmgren isn’t going to beat Valanciunas with brute strength, but his performance in Game 1 showed that he can impact the game in other ways. Game 2 is on Wednesday night.

Dallas did not play any of its starters, and predictably, the game got out of hand by halftime. That’s a difficult pill for Holmgren managers in active leagues to swallow, but there was no need for him or the other Thunder starters to play in the second half. Due to its win and Minnesota’s loss to Phoenix, Oklahoma City will be the 1-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Holmgren has been an excellent fantasy asset in his rookie campaign, providing top-20 per-game value in 9-cat formats.

Holmgren was impactful on both ends of the floor on Friday, with the 22 points being the most he’s tallied in a game since April 2 (22 vs. PHI). Add in the nine rebounds, three assists, and three blocks, and the rookie power forward had one of his most productive nights of the month. Jalen Williams also recorded a full line on Friday, finishing with 17 points, two rebounds, five assists, one steal, one block, and one 3-pointer in 27 minutes. Oklahoma City, which can still earn the 1-seed in the West, hosts Dallas on Sunday.

Holmgren hasn’t been himself lately. He came into this one with averages of just 12.1 points on 38.6% shooting to go with 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks across his last eight contests. A date with Charlotte was just what the doctor ordered, and the rookie snapped out of his slump with a big-time performance. He’ll look to build on this strong game when OKC faces the Kings on Tuesday.