Chet Holmgren Ruled Out for Wednesday, Forcing the Thunder to Play on Normal Difficulty

Chet Holmgren is officially out for Wednesday's game with a knee issue, which means the Oklahoma City Thunder are finally going to have to play basketball on normal difficulty.

Underdog NBA reported the downgrade late Tuesday, confirming the big man will miss the midweek road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. If you have Holmgren anchoring your fantasy blocks category, it is time to hit the waiver wire and pray.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Chet Holmgren (knee) listed out for Wednesday.'"

The Thunder are currently sitting at a flawless 4-0, largely because Holmgren has been treating the paint like a gated community. He is averaging 9.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, anchoring a defense that ranks fourth in the league with a 101.7 rating.

Taking a 7-foot-1 rim deterrent out of the lineup completely changes the geometry of the floor. Dallas is already a nightmare matchup with Luka Dončić running the show, and now the Mavericks get to attack the rim without worrying about a human eclipse waiting for them at the summit.

Oklahoma City has been an absolute wagon for bettors, covering the spread in all four of their games so far this season. Without Holmgren altering shots and cleaning the glass, the market is going to have to heavily adjust how it prices this Thunder defense on the road.

The immediate question is whether this is just a routine maintenance night for a sore knee or something that lingers into the weekend. Until the Thunder provide a concrete timeline, Oklahoma City will have to figure out how to protect the rim with mere mortals.