Although some initially panned the decision by the OKC Thunder to pay Chet Holmgren $250 million this offseason, if he can make one specific tweak to his game, it could end up being an inarguable fact that he'll be worth every penny he winds up earning.
According to Adam Mares of All NBA Podcast, he and Oklahoma City are already gearing up to add that missing piece that will likely wind up thrusting him into ultimate stardom.
During a recent appearance on The Kevin O'Connor Show, the analyst revealed that the expectation heading into 2025-26 is that the Thunder will look to get the big man more involved on the offensive end of the floor, particularly off the dribble.
A defensive juggernaut, one who currently ranks second in the odds department for the DPOY award next year, it goes without saying that Holmgren is already an unquestioned cornerstone talent who played a key role in the ball club taking home the Larry O'Brien Trophy this past season.
The concept of the 7-footer now developing into a well-rounded, self-initiating scorer would make him all the more terrifying on the hardwood. In fact, Mares reminded everyone that Thunder fans have actually already seen the potential game-changing upside of his play when incorporating such a trait.
Thunder looking to get Chet Holmgren more involved off the dribble
As Mares noted, before going down with his right iliac wing fracture early on in the season, the big man was highly active off the bounce and, overall, quite effective on the offensive side of the ball.
In nine fully-healthy games to start the year, Holmgren was dropping impressive averages of 18.2 points on 51.9 percent shooting from the floor and 40.0 percent shooting from distance while seeing a star-level usage rating of 24.2.
Unfortunately, this career-best start to 2024-25 was derailed due to the aforementioned hip injury, and, following a three-month-long hiatus, he never seemed able to get back into the same groove, often playing off-ball as a catch-and-shoot perimeter shooter.
While his averages may have remained solid following his return to action (14.3 points per game on 38.0 percent shooting from deep), it was obvious that the burst and aggression that he boasted early on in the year were significantly diminished while trying to get reintegrated on the fly.
Even in the playoffs, despite being a driving force in their title run, his offensive game never seemed to revert to peak form.
However, after a full offseason of rest and rehabilitation, the hope is that Holmgren can find a way to sustain his pre-injury production for an entire season. Should he be able to accomplish such a feat, the defending champions could very well end up having as many as three players heading to Los Angeles for the 2026 All-Star Game.
With SGA and J-Dub leading the charge, the Thunder have already proven themselves to be absolutely dominant. Adding a leveled-up Chet Holmgren into the mix could actually make them virtually unstoppable.