The Oklahoma City Thunder have faced a season’s worth of injuries just five games into 2026-27. On Friday night, things got worse. Specifically, with All-Defensive center Chet Holmgren.
Holmgren, 24, developed what was labeled “mild discomfort” in his right knee after the Thunder’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 25, according to Slam’s Nick Crain.
The injury led the Thunder to run further tests on the center’s knee. Specialists then found a small patellar tendon tear in Holmgren’s right knee, leading to a procedure to address it.
“The treatment was successful and Holmgren is expected to make a full recovery and return to play in 8-to-10 weeks,” Crain added in his report.
Oklahoma City will look to rely on Isaiah Hartenstein and 2026 first-round pick Aday Mara to help fill the gap at center while Holmgren is sidelined.
Injury Woes Continue For the Thunder
Following the news of Chet Holmgren being sidelined, he will now be added to a list of key injuries for the championship-hopeful Thunder.
Coincidentally, Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace suffered long-term injuries in the same game as Holmgren: a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 25.
Williams dislocated and fractured his left fibula in the final minutes of the contest. The injury led to surgery, and he will be re-evaluated before the end of the regular season, per Brandon Rahbar of Daily Thunder.
Earlier in the game, Cason Wallace exited for what would later be discovered as a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Similar to Jalen Williams, Wallace will be re-evaluated before the end of the regular season.
To add to an unfortunate evening for the Thunder, Holmgren also suffered a knee injury. The 8-to-10 week recovery period will make Holmgren able to return on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) at the earliest.
Alex Caruso (ankle), Nikola Topic (back/ACL), and Thomas Sorber (ACL) are also Thunder players currently missing time with setbacks.
More Than 15% of the NBA Listed on Injury Reports
Just one week into the 2026-27 season, the NBA has dealt with a concerning number of injuries throughout the league.
As of the NBA’s official injury report on Oct. 28, there were “approximately 15% of the NBA” listed with injuries, according to insider Keerthika Uthayakumar. Chet Holmgren’s injury was part of that number and will continue to be counted moving forward.
Some of the league’s biggest names are sidelined with significant injuries. Names like Kawhi Leonard (knee), Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), Anthony Edwards (knee), Jalen Williams (ankle), and now Chet Holmgren (knee) will be missing time moving forward.
Thunder Discover Telling Chet Holmgren Injury Amid Injury Woes