But for Holmgren, being sidelined has posed a novel physical and a mental challenge. He had never been forced to slow down before. Even on the morning of his first surgery, in late August, he was talking on the phone and doing doughnuts on his knee scooter as he waited to head to the hospital. And when he landed back in Oklahoma City after the procedure, he went straight to the team facility. “I mean, the best way to learn that fire’s hot is to get burned,” he said. “I don’t think anything can replace playing this year. I don’t think anybody could convince me of that. But at the end of the day, I could let this be a blessing or a curse, you know? So I got to figure out how to turn it into a blessing, how to make the most out of it.”
