Thunder’s Chet Holmgren out for several months with hip injury

Despite an 8-2 start to the season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the first half of the 2024-25 season appears to be a difficult road. The team began the season with injuries to three players expected to log minutes at the center position, most notably Isaiah Hartenstein.

But now Oklahoma City will be without its starting player for at least two months after Chet Holmgren suffered a serious injury on Sunday night. While fending off an attempt from Andrew Wiggins at the rim early in the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors, Holmgren came down hard and landed on his right hip. Unable to put any weight on his right leg, his teammates had to lift him off the ground.

A few hours after the game, the Thunder announced that the rising star had suffered a fractured right iliac wing but is expected to return in the 2024-25 season. An update on his return protocol will be released in eight to 10 weeks, meaning there likely won’t be any further information on his potential return until February at the earliest.

Again, the expectation is that the evaluation and announcement of a return plan will occur during this period, but that does not necessarily mean that he expects to return at this time. There’s a real chance he doesn’t speak again until after the NBA All-Star Break or even early March.

Most importantly, he gets back in time to get back in shape and into shape before the playoffs. If he can do that, this Thunder team is talented enough to remain one of the better teams in the Western Conference.

Holmgren’s injury makes acquiring Isaiah Hartenstein this summer even more important. While he will be out for a few more weeks due to a hand injury, he will take the starting position as center player upon his return. He is a very big starter in this league and can ensure that the Thunder are still a very good team on both sides.

But in the meantime, OKC finds itself in a tough spot. Not only are the Thunder without Holmgren and Hartenstein, but the roster is also missing Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams, both of whom would normally step in to play center minutes in this scenario. You are also injured and there is no word on whether you will return soon.

It can therefore be assumed that Oklahoma City will rely even more on small lineups. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Thunder use five guards in the next few weeks. In fact, there isn’t much of an option unless coach Mark Daigneault decides to put someone like Ousmane Dieng or Dillon Jones in the starting lineup, even though neither of them is a natural midfielder. Regardless, Oklahoma City has the tools to play in an unorthodox manner while still being effective until Hartenstein returns to full health.

Holmgren is in good spirits despite it being his second serious injury in recent years. He has already missed his entire first NBA season and will now miss several months after playing all 82 regular-season games in the 2023-24 season.

The path to the top seed in the Western Conference just got a lot more difficult for Oklahoma City, but this season is certainly no loss. Assuming the rest of the roster stays reasonably healthy and Holmgren can return in a reasonable time frame based on what we know today, the Thunder are still primed to be a major playoff threat and a real contender .