After missing roughly three months due to a pelvic injury, Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren made his on-court return before the All-Star break. Since then, the Minneapolis native has appeared in five games for the Thunder. However, he will not suit up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
According to their official injury report, the Thunder will sit Holmgren tonight against the Timberwolves for rest purposes. Given that this is the second game of a back-to-back, it seems like the team is simply playing it cautiously with Holmgren. Considering that they are 9.5 games above the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets for the No. 1 seed, this is the right way to play. They have the No. 1 seed all but locked up, and they are a serious contender to win it all this year.
Oklahoma City Thunder Reveal Chet Holmgren Injury Designation
The Thunder’s Incredible Season So Far
The Thunder went 57-25 last season and earned the No. 1 seed in the West. However, they have managed to top that and are having an even better season this year. They are 46-10 and need to win just 12 more games to have a better record than last season. Furthermore, they currently rank as the best defensive team and the fifth-best offensive team. in the NBA.
After Mark Daigneault took home the Coach of the Year award last year, the Thunder may be in line for more awards this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished as the runner-up for the MVP award last season. Despite having a fantastic campaign last year, the Canadian native is having an even better season this year. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a league-leading 32.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. His stats, in addition to the team’s success, make him a top MVP candidate once again.
Additionally, forward Luguentz Dort recently revealed that he thinks he deserves the Defensive Player of the Year award.
“Honestly, the biggest goal is to go out there and perform every night for my teammates. But it will always be nice to get rewarded for the hard work that I do on the court, which would probably be Defensive Player of the Year or first team. If you ask me if I deserve it, I would say yes, just because of what I bring every night, all the matchups that I got to face every night. But all that would be a goal of mine.”
The Last Word
There are a lot of great teams in the Western Conference. However, it is pretty clear that the Thunder are head and shoulders above the rest. They are arguably the most complete team in basketball and have great coaching to go along with it. The Thunder have not made an NBA Finals appearance in over a decade. However, at this rate, they are in a good spot to stop this drought. In order for the team to reach their full potential, it is crucial that Holmgren stays healthy.
© Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
The post Oklahoma City Thunder Reveal Chet Holmgren Injury Designation appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.