Holmgren’s potential breakout is tempered by last year’s hip fracture. Expect cautious minutes and selective usage as he rebuilds explosiveness and confidence, with a focus on defensive impact and efficiency as the preseason unfolds.

Holmgren is viewed as a potential game-changer with rim protection, shooting range, and playmaking that can transform OKC's frontcourt dynamics.

Holmgren’s floor spacing and screen setting amplify the Joe-Hartenstein action, adding a versatile element that improves the offense’s perimeter threat and allows more efficient usage of the two man game.

Holmgren's unique size and shooting rhythm offer spacing for Wallace's drives and SGA's attack. His continued development on defense and beyond-the-arc helps OKC maintain a versatile, modern offense.

<p>Holmgren anchors OKC’s interior defense and identity after helping deliver a championship. His ability to protect the rim and run the floor drives fantasy upside when healthy, highlighted by a clutch Game 7 five-block performance in the 2025 Finals against Indiana. An extension locks him with the Thunder core, signaling sustained opportunity and top-end block production in 2025-26.</p><p>His off-season lift in strength hints at safer, more durable minutes, but health remains the defining variable for his year-to-year ceiling. The opening-night assignment versus Houston will reveal how aggressively OKC plans to deploy him from the outset.</p>