Chet Holmgren, a boost in the stands for the Thunder

“ He was very kind and polite. It was like the next door neighbor on the porch. That's what I felt when talking to him », testifies, from The OklahomanDK O'Donnell, year-round subscriber to follow the Thunder, about his neighbor on a special evening: Chet Holmgren.

The latter attended his team's victory last night against the Mavs in the NBA Cup. Present not far from the Thunder bench, the local giant appeared for the first time in the Paycom Center since his pelvic fracture.

With what effect on his teammates? “ It's always good to have him by your side. The circumstances are obviously not perfect. But every time it's present, it's a plus “, describes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Especially when you know that the interior must have remained very quiet during the first days of his recovery, leaving him essentially confined to his bed.

The media only saw him on November 23 for the first time at a team practice, moving around using crutches. His presence was therefore symbolic of his upcoming return to competition.

The pre-match speech

“ I'm happy for him that he can do it. Part of me is happy for him because he probably wanted to play on crutches, which wouldn't have been good for the team or his injury. We see him more often, he is in his right mind », describes Mark Daigneault, while his interior even delivered the pre-match speech!

Thirty seconds to motivate your group around three axes: “ Win the match, get some extra money, protect the field. » « He said it in another way, a little more explicit. But that's what he said. That's probably why we won ”, barely exaggerates “SGA”.

When OKC announced Chet Holmgren's injury on Nov. 10, there was talk of a return to play eight to 10 weeks later. So he would still have a month to month and a half before putting on his shorts again.

“ Mentally, he has overcome some obstacles and is starting to make progress. He understands the importance of taking things step by step. He does a good job in this regard. He will continue to make progress and he will be back at one point or another », displays Mark Daigneault.

Since the injury to his interior, the Thunder has a record of 11 victories for 3 defeats.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.