Three years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder were a punchline—a franchise so committed to tanking they'd traded away every asset worth keeping and seemed destined for a decade of irrelevance. Now their 22-year-old center is on the NBA's All-Defensive Team, and the rebuild that was supposed to take seven years has taken three.

Chet Holmgren's selection alongside Victor Wembanyama, announced Thursday, represents more than individual recognition. It confirms what the advanced metrics have been screaming all season: the Thunder possess the most disruptive defensive frontcourt in the league, and they've locked it up for the better part of a decade.

The numbers behind the nod

Holmgren's case was overwhelming. The 7-foot-1 center anchored a Thunder defense that finished second in defensive rating, and his 2.4 blocks per game ranked third in the league. More importantly, Oklahoma City allowed just 102.3 points per 100 possessions with Holmgren on the floor—a figure that would have led the league if extrapolated across a full season.

What separates Holmgren from traditional rim protectors is his perimeter versatility. He switched onto guards on 18% of his defensive possessions this season, holding them to 38% shooting. For a center, that's nearly unprecedented. The comparison that keeps surfacing—and that Holmgren himself has embraced—is a young Kevin Garnett, though with a more reliable three-point stroke.

The Thunder's timeline accelerates

General manager Sam Presti built this roster through patient accumulation: the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade, the Holmgren draft selection, the steady collection of picks that became Jalen Williams and others. The plan was always to compete eventually. Nobody expected eventually to arrive in 2026.

The Thunder's 33-game streak as favorites before their playoff exit demonstrated both their regular-season dominance and their remaining developmental gaps. But Holmgren's All-Defensive selection suggests the foundation is sound. You can teach offensive polish. You cannot teach 7-foot-1 with 7-foot-6 wingspan and the footwork of a guard.

Our take

The All-Defensive Team is often a lagging indicator, rewarding reputation as much as performance. Holmgren's inclusion as a second-year player suggests his impact was simply too obvious to ignore. Oklahoma City's championship window isn't opening—it's already open. The only question now is whether Presti can add the final pieces before the rest of the league figures out how to counter what he's built.