Chet Holmgren’s Summer League Numbers Are Promising
The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Chet Holmgren as the second pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. However, he has yet to play a single regular-season game for the club after missing the 2022-2023 campaign due to a Lisfranc injury in his right foot which he sustained last summer.
This extensive layoff means that 2023-24 is ostensibly his rookie season, and he doesn’t appear to have missed a beat in the early goings of summer league thus far.
Holmgren’s Summer League Numbers
While all eyes have been on this year’s top pick Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, analysts are also taking notice of Chet Holmgren and the steps he took as he moves closer to finally making his regular season debut.
In the NBA 2K24 Summer League opener against the Dallas Mavericks, Holmgren had 16 points and ten rebounds to help OKC come away with a 91-80 victory. Across three Summer League games, Holmgren is now averaging 14.2 points and ten rebounds, while displaying high level rim protection in his own end.
Granted, it’s a small sample size, and he’s yet to face NBA level competition, but the early returns are promising from OKC’s top prospect. The 7’1” Gonzaga alum has added muscle to his frame, and while he won’t be mistaken for a bruising low post player anytime soon, his footwork and vision on the court have made him stand out this summer.
Holmgren Will Bolster OKC’s Future
During the 2022-2023 season, the Thunder finished with a 40-42 record and earned a berth in the play-in tournament, downing the New Orleans Pelicans before eventually bowing out against the Minnesota Timberwolves. All without Chet.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with averages of 31.4 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and one block per game across 68 regular-season games. He shot 51% from the field, including 34.5% shooting from three. In his second NBA season, Josh Giddey averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists, and the club showed promise with Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams continuing to progress as well.
Their nearly .500 record was done in spite of the fact that their defensive metrics lagged behind their offense, as the club was clearly in need of a body capable of protecting the paint. OKC ranked 29th in the league in defensive rebounding percentage, and gave up the 6th most free throws to opposing teams in 2022-23.
Adding Chet and his 7’6” wingspan to the mix would do wonders for the Thunder on both ends of the court, and hopefully ease some of the offensive load off MVP candidate SGA.
The good news for OKC fans: Coach Mark Daigneault will have plenty of young talented players on his roster, including Williams, whom many are predicting could surpass Giddey in terms of impact this season, and this year’s tenth pick in the draft Cason Wallace.
Against the Mavs- the team that traded the right to select Wallace to the Thunder, 19 year old scored 20 points and made six threes. If Chet Holmgren can remain healthy over the long trek that is the 82-game regular season OKC could be in line for a deep playoff run- something they haven’t done since they blew a 3-1 series lead against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals.
And since Holmgren missed all of last season due to injury, he will enter the 2023-2024 season as a rookie, which means he could give Wembanyama and the other top rookies this season a run for the Rookie of the Year honours. Vegas currently has him as a 5 to 1 underdog, trailing only Scoot Henderson and Wemby.
No matter how you slice it, a healthy Chet Holmgren will be a significant addition to OKC’s future. And with more draft assets acquired via the wide array of trades orchestrated by Sam Presti over the last few years, the future looks bright for the Thunder.
At this stage of the game, the regular season can’t come soon enough for Holmgren and company in Oklahoma.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Steve Cheng. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.