NBA Playoffs: Thunder’s Chet Holmgren Showing “Urgency With Patience”

BusinessSportsMoneyNBA Playoffs: Thunder’s Chet Holmgren Showing “Urgency With Patience”ByMark Medina,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. NBA reporterFollow AuthorApr 27, 2026, 02:03pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 9: Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates after a slam dunk during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at Paycom Center on March 9, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)Getty ImagesAs he has tried to leap forward with his towering 7-foot-1 frame, Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren realized those jumps don’t always happen immediately. “My understanding of urgency with patience has gotten a lot better,” Holmgren said. “Early on, I would try to win the Super Bowl on every single play.”Understood. Holmgren prides himself on displaying championship habits. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called Holmgren “the ultimate winner” after earning the consensus National High School Player of the Year (2021), leading Gonzaga to a Sweet 16 appearance as college basketball’s best defender (2022) and becoming the Thunder’s prized No. 2 pick (2022). Then, Holmgren discovered that growth doesn’t always move in a linear fashion. He missed his entire rookie season after rupturing a tendon in his right foot in a summer-league pro-am game and needing surgery immediately afterwards. Following a fully healthy campaign in 2023-24, Holmgren then missed 50 more games last season partly because he fractured his right hip and pelvis following a mid-air collision. Since then, Holmgren’s patience has paid off. Last season, Holmgren still played a pivotal role in helping t...