Chet Holmgren dominates in his Summer League debut

The Oklahoma City Thunder spent the past year preparing for the 2022 NBA Draft, and after some great lottery luck, it was made clear that they quickly zeroed in on Chet Holmgren being their guy with the 2nd pick in the draft.

The OKC Thunder hope the Gonzaga product can be the next cornerstone of their franchise helping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, the newly extended Lu Dort, and company get over the hump and eventually complete the rebuild. For this to work the way Thunder General Manager Sam Presti envisions, Chet Holmgren has to pan out.

Tuesday was the first glimpse of Chet Holmgren in an Oklahoma City Thunder uniform. The Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Utah Jazz in their first Salt Lake City Summer League game, and the 2nd overall pick in last month’s draft did not disappoint.

OKC Thunder second overall pick Chet Holmgren dominates in his 2022 NBA Summer League debut against Tacko Fall and the Utah Jazz

The Oklahoma City Thunder rookie stepped on the floor and just looked at home. The 7’1 big man performed guard-like magic offensively. Chet Holmgren scored 23 points on nine shots, shooting four for six from beyond the arc, and going five for five from the free-throw line. Holmgren collected seven rebounds, four assists, a steal, and six blocks per game.

Chet Holmgren was a plus 26 in the game, he swatted a Utah Summer Leauge record six shots on defense and displayed his rim protection in his first game as a pro. Defensively, he looked the part in every way. His size and length allowed him to alter shots at the rim, as well as recover on the perimeter. He even blocked 7’6 Tacko Fall to force a jump ball.

Offensively is where the fun began, Kam Woods, the Thunder summer league head coach, truly allowed Holmgren to take the reigns and bring the ball up the floor as a playmaker. We were able to see more in one game with OKC than the entire season with Gonzaga a year ago just due to the better spacing and teammates the NBA provides.

From his one-legged fade-away jumpers to his trailing triples assisted by Josh Giddey, to his off-the-bounce threes, flashy passes, constant confidence, and under-control pace, you could not ask for more.

Chet Holmgren looked the part of a future NBA star in every way. From his confidence, seeking out contact, aggressive nature, skillset, and everything in between. Even after the game, Holmgren provided fans a special moment when he refused to do a sideline interview with ESPN unless Josh Giddey accompanied him.

We get it, it is only one (1) NBA Summer League game, and this is all just an exhibition that is barely NBA basketball with countless examples of past Summer League flash in the pans who never materialized but just let OKC Thunder fans have this one.

After two straight tanking seasons, it is time to have some hope and optimism. No one thinks Holmgren is destined for Springfield just because of one summer league game, but let’s allow fans to enjoy this one. There are examples of Summer League stars that do not pan out, there are also examples of NBA stars who dominated the Summer League ranks as well. The bottom line is that you would rather have your 2nd overall player look this good than bad.