Chet Holmgren will miss roughly eight to 10 weeks with a small patellar tendon tear in his right knee. Hoops Rumors reported that he underwent a biological treatment on Friday and that the Thunder announced it in a press release. The team expects a full recovery and a return in approximately eight to 10 weeks. Counting from this weekend, that points to a return between late December and early January. Neither the feed summaries nor our data give a firmer date.
The feed summaries carry no detail on how or when the injury happened, and the Thunder's release is the only source cited for the diagnosis. Our archive shows Holmgren's last appearance was Oct. 25, the win over the Clippers. He played three games and started all three. He has not played in the two games since.
ESPN framed the news as the latest setback for an OKC team that lost Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for an extended time earlier this week. Yahoo Sports put it as three starters, all key defenders, now out for significant time. Neither summary says how long Williams and Wallace will be out. Our data shows both also have three games played and three starts this season.
Holmgren's early numbers were modest: 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in 30.0 minutes, shooting 40.7 percent. His 3.0 blocks per game is well above last season's 1.9, when he averaged 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds over 69 games. Three games is a small sample, but the shot-blocking is the part of his game the Thunder will miss most while he is out.
OKC is 4-1 and first in the Northwest, but it lost its last game, 120-96 at Dallas on Wednesday. Without Holmgren, the Thunder shot 5-of-32 from three and gave up 16 threes and 17 fast-break points. Dallas led by as many as 27 and OKC never led by more than three. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 on 7-of-19 shooting. Ajay Mitchell scored 29 on 12-of-20. Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points and 14 rebounds in 26 minutes, so the big-man minutes are already going to him.
The schedule gives them little time to adjust. OKC plays at Houston on Saturday and then at Cleveland on Monday, Nov. 2. Both games come before there is any update on Williams or Wallace.
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