It wasn't pretty, but the Oklahoma City Thunder earned a much-needed win over the Brooklyn Nets in their first game back from the All-Star Break.
They shot just 42.2% from the floor and 37.1% from 3-point range, but an excellent and cohesive defensive front limited the lowly Nets to just 86 points on the night. Offensively, the star of the game was Jared McCain, who finished with 21 points in his best game yet in a Thunder uniform.
Yet Chet Holmgren, who finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, was Oklahoma City's most important player on that end of the floor.
He flashed his abilities to hunt mismatches in the paint and draw contact on his way to the rim against a team that truly had no answer for his height and skill around the basket. If the Thunder are going to survive this next stretch without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, the advancements in Holmgren's game are going to need to stick.
Chet Holmgren needs to hone his offensive game, and now is the time
Holmgren has already entered star territory. This season, he's averaging 17.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while knocking down 35.6% from 3-point range. He's currently the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year if Victor Wembanyama ultimately misses the 65-game threshold for award consideration
When Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams are available and able to spur the offense with interior penetration, this level of production is all that's needed from Holmgren. He can largely be passive, hunting his opportunities to score.
But with their two star scorers out, more is required of Chet.
He needs to be more aggressive getting to the paint and going up to the rim when he gets there. He does not have the ball-handling abilities of either of the team's other stars, but he has the size to be a brutal matchup agains anyone who tries to guard him.
Against a team like the Nets, who did not have a true rim protector with Nic Claxton out, this was an absolutely necessary part of the Thunder's game plan. Holmgren executed.
The next step in Holmgren's game is to hone his offensive package. He's still liable to settle for low percentage shots, and his creativity at the rim still leaves much to be desired.
But with the San Antonio Spurs hot on their tail for the one-seed, Oklahoma City cannot afford to rest on their laurels for even a second. Holmgren needs to be their main offensive contributor over this next stretch, and he flashed his ability to became that against Brooklyn.