Teammates champion Chet Holmgren's All-Star case, highlighting his immediate impact, defensive anchor role, and consistent winning performance.
Not every All-Star case is built the same. Some players force the conversation by sheer inevitability, where the debate feels pointless before it even begins.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lives in that space. His name belongs on the ballot without explanation. But the league has always had another category of All-Star, the kind whose impact demands context, whose value shows up most clearly when you connect the dots between winning, sacrifice, and consistency.
That is where Chet Holmgren’s case lives, and it is why the Thunder are starting to speak up because it’s almost like it is a campaign for certain guys.
Holmgren’s argument doesn’t start with highlights or viral moments. It starts with results. From the moment he stepped onto the floor in an Oklahoma City uniform, the Thunder became one of the best teams in basketball.
The rise wasn’t gradual, it was immediate, and it has sustained itself. That isn’t coincidence, and it isn’t luck. It is impact.
“Chet is most definitely an All-Star,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “From the moment he stepped foot on the floor with this basketball team, we’re the No. 1 team in the West. It’s no coincidence. His game translates to winning and his numbers do too. I’d bet a lot of money he’s an All-Star this year.”
Coming from a player who has no need to campaign for himself, the words carry weight. Gilgeous-Alexander understands what it takes to win at the highest level, and he understands how much of that responsibility Holmgren quietly shoulders.
Night after night, Holmgren anchors the defense, cleans up mistakes, and allows the Thunder perimeter pressure to be as aggressive as it is. His presence alone changes how teams attack the paint, often before the ball ever crosses half court.
Head coach Mark Daigneault isn’t interested in lobbying, but his explanation of Holmgren’s importance paints a clear picture of why this conversation matters.
“I’m not going to go crazy about the campaign,” Daigneault said. “But what I will say is Chet’s the ultimate winner. It’s evident by the amount of winning we’ve done since we’ve had Chet. His first year, we won 57 games and were the No. 1 seed. Last year, he obviously didn’t play for some of the season, but we won in the playoffs. And then this year. There’s a reason for that. It’s the rim protection. It’s the competitiveness. It’s the floor spacing. It’s the unselfishness. He’s going to do what it takes for the team to win.”
That list reads like the blueprint of a modern All-Star big. Holmgren protects the rim without fouling, stretches the floor without hijacking possessions, and competes with an edge that sets the tone for a young roster. He doesn’t need the ball to dominate a game, yet his fingerprints are everywhere once the final buzzer sounds.
Perhaps the most telling part of Holmgren’s case is that it doesn’t rely on him demanding recognition. Instead, it’s his teammates who feel compelled to speak. Lu Dort put it bluntly.
“I’m pretty sure they’re watching now but they need to pay a little more attention.”
That’s the message. Pay attention to how the Thunder defend when Holmgren is on the floor. Pay attention to how their offense breathes with his spacing.
Pay attention to how winning follows him season after season. Gilgeous-Alexander may be the no-brainer, but if winning truly matters, then Chet Holmgren’s name belongs in the All-Star conversation too.