The Oklahoma City Thunder saw their second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Chet Holmgren, go down with an injury this past weekend at the Crawsover pro-am event in Seattle. Yesterday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported “There is fear of a potentially torn ligament in his foot, sources said. A timetable is being determined based on further evaluations.” Today, the Oklahoma City Thunder made it official that Holmgren will miss the entire 2022-23 NBA season with a Lisfranc injury in his right foot.
After this news was released by the organization, OKC Thunder General Manager Sam Presti addressed those of us in the media, Presti clarified “This is a rupture of the tendon” and “Not a fracture.”
Sam Presti also went on to say “There are a lot of guys that have missed their first year, and have had great careers.” those players he is alluding to are Joel Embiid, Blake Griffin, Ben Simmons, and even Zion Williamson have all missed entire seasons before, with Zion only playing 85 games in his first three NBA seasons. Everyone on that list at least has one all-star appearance.
The Oklahoma City Thunder sideline 2nd overall pick Chet Holmgren for the entire 2022-23 NBA season with a right foot injury
Sam Presti’s initial response to this injury was “Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season. We know Chet has a long career ahead of him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community. One of the things that most impressed us during the process of selecting Chet was his determination and focus. We expect that same tenacity will carry him through this period of time as we work together and support him during his rehabilitation.”
The important part for fans is to take a deep breath. I know that is hard right now, believe me, but this injury was not caused by his skinny frame despite what the National NBA landscape and meme culture is trying to tell you.
This season also is not lost for Holmgren. Sure, he will not play in an NBA game, but he is a self-proclaimed basketball junkie that will be in the film room, studying the Thunder offense, and envisioning his game within that framework.