In terms of their current series against the Phoenix Suns, the Oklahoma City Thunder don't have much to worry about.
They've taken a commanding, 3-0 lead even with Jalen Williams sidelined with a hamstring strain. As much fight as Phoenix has shown, the Thunder are just too talented and connected on both ends of the court to truly be challenged by a Suns team missing their starting center. This series was essentially over before it began, and now Oklahoma City will have the chance to close it out on Monday night in Phoenix.
But beyond this series, the Thunder will be tested more than they might have expected. The Los Angeles Lakers look excellent even without Luka Doncic. If he's able to return for a second-round matchup, Oklahoma City could quickly have trouble on their hands.
With Williams out, the Thunder desperately need Holmgren to be more aggressive with the ball in his hands. While it ultimately didn't matter against Phoenix on Sunday, he now has a clear challenge in front of him— one that could define the remainder of Oklahoma City's season.
Holmgren proved himself in the regular season, but he must now do it again in the playoffs
While Holmgren made his defensive prowess clear over the course of the regular season, finishing second in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year award, there were questions lingering for months surrounding his offensive aggression. For him to truly become an All-NBA-caliber player, he needed to silence that debate.
For the most part, he did that successfully. Over his final 26 games, he averaged 16 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while knocking down 53.1% of his attempts from the floor. Most importantly, he took an average of 10.5 field-goal attempts during that span.
On a team with both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, Holmgren will never truly be a primary offensive option. But especially against a team like the Suns, he needs to be able to step up and create his own scoring opportunities in the paint when he's called upon.
So far, he hasn't answered that call. Even with Williams out in Game 3, Holmgren took just six field-goal attempts, passing up on shots and too often deferring to his teammates in the normal course of the offense. He was admittedly effective, knocking down five of those six shots and posting 10 points on the night.
But with Williams out on a week-to-week basis, Holmgren will need to prove himself as a consistent offensive contributor in a playoff setting. As teams continue to hone their defensive strategies and options are taken away from Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder will desperately need to depend on Holmgren as an outlet.
If he can take that next leap, it could be a scary development for the rest of the Western Conference.
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