In his lone season with Gonzaga, the 7’1 center was a Second Team All-American in 2022.
He’s back. The leading big man of the Oklahoma City Thunder is set to return tomorrow against the Toronto Raptors at 5 PM PT.
Chet Holmgren has been out since November with a hip fracture. He’s averaging 16.4 points per game on shooting split of 50.5 FG%/37.8 3PT%/77.6 FT%, 8.7 rebounds per game, and 2.6 blocks per game through 10 games.
After being selected with the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury in his foot which sidelined him for the entire 2022-23 season. In his rookie campaign in 2023-24, he was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team. He finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting while putting together 16.5 points per game (third among rookies), 8.0 rebounds per game (second among rookies), and 2.3 blocks per game (2nd among rookies).
In 2024-25, the Thunder have a 40-9 overall record and are in first place of the Western Conference standings. Sam Presti, Oklahoma City general manager, was silent at the NBA trade deadline but didn’t need to make any moves with the return of Holmgren.
DraftKings has the Thunder as the favorites to win the NBA Finals at +230 odds.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho