The Oklahoma City Thunder could be missing a key piece for their 2026-2027 NBA regular season opening night against the San Antonio Spurs.
According to the Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, the team will continue to practice and deal with Chet Holmgren’s quad contusion until the start of the regular season. That means that his availability would be in doubt for the opening night.
“Everybody did something in practice today to varying degrees based on individual situations,” he said via Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “But in terms of availability for any player, I’ll leave that to the injury report. We’ll report at 5 p.m. on the day before the first game.”
“Everybody did something in practice today to varying degrees based on individual situations. But in terms of availability for any player, I’ll leave that to the
The Thunder medical staff held the 7-foot-1 center Holmgren out of all preseason games as a precautionary measure to ensure he recovers fully for the start of the regular season.
The organization has not expressed long-term concern regarding his status, and he remains a game-time decision against the Spurs on opening night.
Chet Holmgren’s Motivations For The Upcoming Season With The Thunder
Rather than letting his drive be dictated by the highs of winning an NBA championship or the lows of a brutal Western Conference Finals loss, Chet Holmgren maintains a steady internal baseline.
“If you base your motivation based on outcomes, your motivation is going to go up and down. I feel like I have very consistent motivations, and I try to stick to those,” Holmgren said on media day.
“I feel like I’ve always had personal motivations. Over time, I’ve tried to distance them from outcomes, good or bad, because outcomes change, as we know. Outcomes change a lot, night-to-night, year-to-year.”
This was echoed by Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who expressed superb confidence for Holmgren for the upcoming season.
“Chet needs no motivation,” Presti said. “He didn’t play his best basketball in the series, but as I pointed out at that time, all the great players in NBA history, that’s what makes them great. They encounter these moments, they confront them, and they battle and they learn from those and get better.
“I’m pretty confident that’s kind of the trajectory he’s going to take.”
Criticisms Surround Thunder’s Chet Holmgren
Holmgren faced heavy criticism during the 2026 Western Conference Finals after struggling offensively against the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs, culminating in a 4-point performance in Game 7, which the Thunder lost.
In the series, Holmgren averaged 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 51.0% overall and 27.3% from the 3-point range.
Last season, Holmgren earned All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive First Team honors in the regular season, acting as a foundational anchor on both ends of the floor for the Thunder. Holmgren played in 69 games, averaging 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game to help the Thunder take the No. 1 seed in the West for the third season.
The focus for his fourth year in the NBA is on increased offensive aggression and perimeter efficiency as the Thunder hopes for a healthier and more complete roster for the postseason.
Notably, Holmgren entered training camp at a heavier 215 pounds to better anchor OKC’s championship pursuit.
Bad News Emerges For OKC Thunder As Chet Holmgren Continues Injury Mystery