Speaking to the media for the first time since before the regular season began, Chet Holmgren provided an update on his rehab process in exit interviews.
The 2022 No. 2 pick suffered a Lisfranc injury last offseason that cost him the entire 2022-23 regular season.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season officially over following a play-in loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Holmgren said that his recovery process is going well and should be ready to return for next season.
“I’m pretty much past the rehab part of this journey,” Holmgren said. “I guess you could say, and now I’m progressing more into the 5-on-5 stuff and kind of taking away any restrictions that I have to this point.”
This is exciting news for both Holmgren and the Thunder. While he hasn’t graduated to full 5v5 action, the fact that he’s on the doorstep proves that Holmgren will have plenty of time in the offseason to get fully prepared for the 2023-24 campaign.
It looks like Thunder fans will have to wait a little longer for his in-game return though, as Holmgren was noncommittal when asked if he’d play in summer league this upcoming July.
“Right now, I’m focused on the plan that I have here in the near future,” Holmgren said, “and we’ll figure that out as we go.”
Until it happens, Holmgren will continue to feel anxious about his return — as he admitted he’s felt that throughout the season, knowing he could’ve helped the Thunder improve this season if he was healthy.
