What happened to Chet Holmgren? Latest injury update for OKC's star center after exit vs Hawks? (Feb. 28)

Chet Holmgren did not return after halftime during the OKC Thunder’s road matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, with the team later announcing he had suffered a left ankle sprain.

Holmgren rolled his ankle in the first quarter but continued playing until halftime. He logged nearly 15 minutes in the opening half, contributing seven points, four rebounds and three assists.

The Thunder have yet to provide further details on the severity of the injury, but OKC fans can take some relief in the fact that Holmgren played through it before being ruled out — possibly indicating swelling rather than a severe sprain.

Since returning from an iliac wing fracture that sidelined him for three months, Holmgren has not played in back-to-back games this season.

With Holmgren sitting out the second half, Isaiah Hartenstein stepped up off the bench to handle center duties for OKC. Hartenstein finished the game with 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Despite Holmgren’s absence, the Thunder dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Hawks 37-20, and maintained their lead until the final buzzer to secure a 135-119 victory.

Chet Holmgren says he has a ‘long way to go’ after fractured pelvis

Since his return, Chet Holmgren has flashed glimpses of his defensive dominance despite still working his way back from the pelvic injury that kept him out for months.

In his return game on Feb. 7 against the Toronto Raptors, Holmgren had a modest stat line of four points and five rebounds but made his presence felt with four blocks. He followed that up with 12 points, six rebounds and five blocks against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Holmgren built momentum in the next few games, posting a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds before stringing together a three-game stretch of 20, 19 and 22 points, all while recording three blocks in each game.

His 22-point outing against the Brooklyn Nets was his best game since the injury, as he also grabbed 17 rebounds.

Before Friday’s game, Chet Holmgren admitted he still doesn’t know when he’ll be back to 100%, but he’s focused on steady improvement.

"I don't know, that's a hard thing to gauge," he said (per NBA.com). "I know I have a long way to go, but I feel like I'm steadily improving every single day. That's the focus."

Drafted No. 2 in the 2022 NBA draft, Chet Holmgren missed his first season due to a Lisfranc injury. In his official rookie season last year, he played all 82 games and finished as the Rookie of the Year runner-up.