A nightmare for the Oklahoma City Thunder fans! It wasn’t even halfway through the first quarter in the Warriors game, when the unfortunate injury occurred. The Thunder undeniably faced a tough blow as forward Chet Holmgren exited early with a right hip injury. Andrew Wiggins drove along the baseline for a layup, and Holmgren went up to contest it, colliding mid-air. The latter landed awkwardly on his right hip beneath the hoop, and though Wiggs scored without drawing a foul, Chet stayed down in pain.

He stayed under the basket for a while before teammates assisted him back to the locker room. Notably, the hoopster struggled to put weight on his right leg. Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft from Gonzaga, has quickly become an impact player. Averaging 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks, he’s turned into a key piece for the Thunder. Alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and a talented group of young players, Chet has helped the team rise as one of the league’s most exciting squads.

OKC Thunder’s chances of keeping up with the top teams in the Western Conference, however, could take a hit because of Chet Holmgren’s injury, making it tougher for them to compete at the highest level.

Keeping aside their team loyalties, fans unite to pray for Chet Holmgren

Fans are worried about the 22-year-old’s status and are praying for him. One netizen commented, “Hope Chet recovers soon love watching him play *praying hands* *heart*“. It seems like the 7’1″ center might be facing another extended absence. In case you had forgotten, a Lisfranc fracture in his right foot had severely hampered Chet Holmgren’s rookie year.

Another user said, “He fell hard and he’s a big guy. Hope he’s all right”. The hoopster is one of the most promising players in the NBA and we’d hate to see anything major happen to him. A lot of potential would go wasted. Holmgren wrapped up his rookie season (after recovering from the injury for a year), as a close Rookie of the Year runner-up to Wembanyama, delivering an impressive 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 53% overall and 37% from three-point range.

Now, Chet Holmgreen’s building on that solid start and pushing forward on a path that could make him a regular All-Star. But with this hard fall, that seems uncertain.

Another user commented, “Warriors fan here, hoping Chet for a fast recovery *praying hands* *heart*”. We might support different teams, but the sport is what brings us joy. When a dedicated youngster like him gets hurt, we put loyalties aside and unitedly hope he recovers quickly. Period.

Another netizen chimed in, “Bro this is honestly sad to see, the whole NBA is getting injured man, ruining amazing teams. Prayers up to Chet.” Injuries have been plaguing the NBA this season. A lot of stars are ending up on the injury list like Kevin Durant, Ja Morant, Jimmy Butler, and Zion Williamson, just to name a few. Is it because of the inclusion of the in-season tournament? Or too many back-to-backs? While it is difficult to pinpoint an exact cause, these two factors might play a big role.

One user had some harsh words for the star center. They commented, “Dude is 7 foot and barely weighs 200 pounds, dude needs to gain some weight + muscle so this stuff doesnt happen“. While it’s true that Holmgren is a bit skinny, fans called him a ‘war prisoner’ when his practice session snippet was released in September! Even Nikola Jokic had said, “I think he needs experience. I think he needs to be a little bit fatter, to be honest.” Well, Holmgren did gain 13 pounds during his time off in the 2022-23 season. But if he has lost weight again, then it’s a bit worrying. Do you all also think a little more muscle mass would keep the No. 2 pick healthy?