Holmgren out eight to 10 weeks as Thunder lose third starter in a week

Chet Holmgren will miss eight to 10 weeks with a patellar tendon tear in his right knee, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Friday night, making him the third Thunder starter ruled out for an extended period this week, according to ESPN.

The Thunder said Holmgren underwent a biological treatment on Friday to address what the team described as a small tear. The procedure, they said, was successful, and the 2022 No. 2 pick is expected to make a full recovery.

"After a series of consultations with specialists, the determination was to perform a biological treatment (Friday) to address a small patellar tendon tear," the team said in its statement.

"The treatment was successful and Holmgren is expected to make a full recovery and return to play in eight-to-10 weeks."

How the injury unfolded

According to the Thunder, Holmgren felt mild discomfort in his right knee on Sunday, 25 October. He then met with specialists before the team settled on a course of treatment, which was carried out on Friday.

The timing could hardly be worse for Oklahoma City. ESPN reported that Holmgren is the third Thunder starter ruled out for an extended period in the same week.

Forward Jalen Williams sustained a broken left fibula and a dislocated left ankle on Sunday, according to NBA.com. Guard Cason Wallace tore the labrum in his left shoulder and underwent surgery on Friday in Los Angeles, where Dr Neal ElAttrache performed the operation at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute with Thunder medical staff present.

The Thunder have said both Williams and Wallace will be evaluated again before the end of the regular season. That is a long way off, and it tells its own story about the scale of what the team is now facing.

A familiar setback for Holmgren

Holmgren has had to deal with this kind of news before. He missed the whole of the 2022-23 season after breaking his foot just weeks after the draft, and he sat out a few months of 2024-25 with a fractured pelvis.

On that occasion he returned to play a key role in the Thunder's championship run, and he went on to earn first-team All-Defensive and third-team All-NBA honours. He averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks across the season.

Those numbers show what Oklahoma City will be missing. Holmgren is the anchor of their interior defence as well as a reliable scorer, and the blocks figure alone points to the kind of rim protection that is not easily replaced from the bench.

The good news, as far as there is any, is that the team has stressed a full recovery and put a firm range on his return. Eight to 10 weeks is a long absence, but it is not a lost season, and Holmgren has already shown twice that he can come back from lengthy spells on the sidelines and perform at a high level.