Chet Holmgren’s Favorite Books Resurface As OKC Thunder Make NBA Championship Bid

Chet Holmgren has often been labeled as an unfunny person, but he gave peek into his inner workings in a 2024 interview.

Chet Holmgren’s Favorite Books Resurface As OKC Thunder Make NBA Championship Bid

Chet Holmgren (FS Image)

Chet Holmgren has been a key contributor for the Oklahoma City Thunder over the past two seasons. In 114 regular season games, he’s averaged 16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. His 2023-24 season saw him play all 82 games. He averaged 16.5 points on 53.0% field goal shooting and 37.0% from three, with 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

Despite missing the majority of the 2024-25 NBA season due to injuries, Holmgren has been back in action with all guns blazing for the duration of the playoffs. He’s been all gas, no brakes during the postseason. His aggressive play on both ends has allowed OKC to have a sizeable frontcourt advantage. Holmgren’s two-way play makes him an invaluable building block for the Thunder’s future championship pushes.

Chet Holmgren has also been growing his profile off the court. Initially known as the guy who popularized the NBA Twitter term ‘Odee shooting hang-pulls’, Holmgren will be looked at as the second best player on a championship favorite very soon. He had an interview with GQ ahead of this season, which laid out how his personality has quirks relatable to other young people.

One of these aforementioned quirks is his affinity for reading coffee table type books. Holmgren admits that he doesn’t have a great attention span, which is why he collects books with more graphic content. Speaking to GQ, Holmgren showed off some of his favorite books in this rather unconventional segment.

Another reason I love these books is because I dropped out of college. Too many words in a page hurt my brain. So it’s always good when there’s a lot of pictures in there, which I think is cool there. I got all different variations of these. That was jewellery right there. This one’s more like fashion and design inspiration. This is one of Virgil’s books – Rest in Peace to him, fashion legend. The next one I’ve got is the Avengers book, this is like all of the Avengers comics, stuffed into one big book. And if you feel the paper, it feels like a comic book too.

Chet Holmgren, much like the other OKC Thunder players, is very much representative of the new wave of youth taking over the world in various aspects. Critics have called the team and its players various versions of the word ‘corny’, but it seems they are comfortable in their own skins. They certainly don’t care about how people on the outside view them.

Chet Holmgren will be a big part of the OKC Thunder’s Finals plans

Holmgren’s elite rim protection is a game-changer for the Thunder’s defensive scheme. His ability to block shots and alter opponents’ drives makes him a fail-safe for OKC’s top-tier defense. In the Finals, his ability to neutralize pick-and-roll plays and protect the rim will be vital against Indiana’s uptempo style, which relies on quick drives and perimeter shooting.

On offense, Holmgren’s ability to stretch the floor as a 7-footer creates matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. His outside shooting forces opposing bigs, like Indiana’s Myles Turner, away from the paint, opening driving lanes for Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. This was evident against Minnesota, where Holmgren’s presence pulled Rudy Gobert out of the paint, compromising the Timberwolves’ drop coverage.

Chet Holmgren’s ability to score in the paint—via dunks, putbacks, and pick-and-roll finishes—adds another dimension. He also has neat chemistry with fellow big man Isaiah Hartenstein. The pair have set each other up with dunk after dunk in neatly choreographed twin tower plays throughout this season. The Thunder have already reached 80 wins (including playoffs) before losing 20 plays in large part due to their frontcourt.

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