The Oklahoma City Thunder have positively dominated the regular season in the first month of 2025-26. They've been looking like one of the most dominant teams of a generation in part due to the strong play of Chet Holmgren, who himself is beginning to come to terms with just how unstoppable his archetype really is.
In his third professional season, Holmgren has been averaging a career-best 18.3 points per game, while shooting 56.2% and pulling down 7.9 rebounds per night as well. He is looking like a potential All-Star this season, and his offense is reaching a level where his efficiency now fuels his value as much as his raw ability.
Holmgren is building a Defensive Player of the Year case by bringing elite rim protection abilities and defensive discipline to the floor. By playing within himself and committing to Mark Daigneault's system, Chet has been able to compete at a high level on defense without fouling very much. That's not something you're going to get from the vast majority of young bigs in this league.
In doing all of this, Holmgren is slowly waking up to the reality that no one can guard him. Maybe you could say Victor Wembanyama has the necessary tools to be a reliable Chet-stopper, but he's likely the only one.
Chet Holmgren is realizing what advantages he has
With Holmgren's size, skillset and range, there's no one else who can consistently defend him. If he adapts to the physicality teams throw his way, he's going to be positively unstoppable. And it seems he's realizing that in 2025-26.
This season, Holmgren is averaging 3.3 more points and shooting 7.2% better from the field by simply embracing an assertive mentality where he refuses to be moved off his spots. He's waking up to just what he's truly capable of, and that's a scary thought for opposing teams to have.
Continued progression for Chet only makes Oklahoma City's dreams of repeating that much more likely. His presence on the hardwood enhances the Thunder's spacing, improves their rim protection and helps them play with the kind of pace they want to every night. He fits seamlessly with what this team is trying to do, and missing over half the season last year hasn't thrown him off much.
Given the way Holmgren is already rounding into form so nicely, it's no wonder why he's been such a big reason for their now 17-1 start to the season. Chet's confidence and aggression only continues to grow, and everything about his play suggests that he's still only scratching the surface of what he can eventually become.