Chet Holmgren may have been able to bounce back from an ugly series opener during Sunday's follow-up win, but in Game 3, the OKC Thunder big sadly reverted back to his inconsistent ways.
Despite recording his most minutes and highest point total of the 2025 NBA Finals with 34:42 and 20, respectively, Holmgren saw some of his most underwhelming brand of basketball played this postseason, especially on the offensive side of the ball, where he shot just 6-for-15 from the field.
Unfortunately, this lackluster efficiency is nothing new for the 23-year-old. In fact, coming into Wednesday night's affair, the big man found himself boasting a mere 40.0 percent shooting clip from the field during this year's title round.
What had been even worse, however, was his conversion rate from deep, as he had made just one three leading into Game 3.
Now, with their 116-107 loss to the Pacers officially in the books, he still only has one made triple out of a total of 10 attempts.
Thunder big Chet Holmgren needs to be more active inside the arc
A major reason why his game is revered and why Holmgren is regarded as a unicorn talent in the league is because of the fact that he's a 7-foot-2 center who can score from all three levels on the floor.
Throughout his career, he finds himself sporting an impressive 16.1 points per game with shooting splits of 51.9/37.1/78.0.
Of course, during this current playoff run, the sophomore's perimeter game has fallen off a cliff, as he's shot just 30.5 percent from long range. Still, he continues to hoist them from deep, as he's attempted 82 shots from beyond the arc, the 14 most in the 2025 postseason.
What makes this all the more aggravating is the fact that he continues to try and force things from three-point land even though he's been highly effective when tapping into his other two levels of scoring.
Over these last two games alone, Holmgren has cashed in on 11 of his 17 shots from inside the arc (64.7 percent). Through all four rounds of the playoffs thus far, he has shot a stellar 56.7 from said range and a ridiculous 66.7 percent within five feet from the rim.
With the Thunder now down 2-1, it's clear that this team must look to make some serious changes in order to claw their way back and have any shot of taking home the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
In a series that's seemingly being decided by offensive play, it's time for Chet Holmgren to strongly reevaluate his.