Chet Holmgren makes his feelings clear about injury concerns after return from lengthy layoff

Chet Holmgren made his return from a hip injury that sidelined the third-year center for three months on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors. When he spoke after the game, he talked about his confidence in his body and the fact that he wasn't going to play scared in fear of re-injuring himself.

Holmgren's return comes at the perfect time for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who can consider his return as their major trade deadline acquisition after making only one move before the deadline on Thursday that brought in backup center Daniel Theiss. Holmgren hopes to recapture his dominant play from the start of the season, where he emerged as a premier contributor to the Thunder.

Speaking to reporters after their 121-109 win over the Raptors on Friday night, Chet Holmgren harped on the fact that he isn't worried about re-injuring himself, according to Brandon Rahbar of HoopsHype.

"If I ever get to the point where I'm worried about going out there can I can't just make the wining play without hesitating...'I'll just stop playing," said Holmgren about his mindset coming back. "You can’t play basketball at a high level that way."

Chet Holmgren had a quiet game in his return to the lineup, putting up four points, five rebounds and four blocks in 22 minutes of action. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has preached patience and caution when talking about Holmgren's recovery this season, and isn't in any rush to put a lot of responsibility on Holmgren's shoulders moving forward because he doesn't need to.

How does Chet Holmgren's return affect the Thunder's rotations as they prepare for the playoffs?

The Thunder(41-9) have been the best team in the Western Conference the entire season, but Chet Holmgren's return does bring up some questions. Friday's game was the first time he and free agent acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein have shared the court so far this season. Fans and experts have questioned how Daigneault will delegate minutes to his two centers now that they are both healthy.

Both Thunder centers were on the court at the start of the game, but Daigneault experimented with different combinations of the two throughout the game. He and the rest of the coaching staff have 32 games left to figure out what rotations will work the best for the Thunder.

As they look to return to the postseason and set their sights on bringing home the franchise's first championship since they moved to Oklahoma City, the Thunder are finally at full strength. Assuming they can stay away from future injuries, the Thunder will be the favorites to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.