OKC Thunder: Examining other rookies who missed their first season

Well, this is not exactly where OKC Thunder fans expected to find themselves as August draws to an end and September looms, with Media Day and Training camp not far behind. After lottery odds were on their side in May and they secured the second overall pick, which was spent on Chet Holmgren out of Gonzaga. Things were looking up for Thunder nation. Perhaps, even a play-in spot could be in their future?

The optimism quickly faded as news came down that their Rookie of the Year candidate would miss the entire 2022-23 season due to a foot injury suffered at Jamal Crawford’s pro-am, in Seattle of all places. Holmgren is not the first player to miss the duration of their rookie season due to injury let’s look into so other instances below:

With OKC Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren on the shelf for 2022-23, let’s look back at other players who missed their rookie season due to injury.

There are many examples of NBA players getting injured either before or after they are drafted and being forced to miss the first season after they are selected. Some instances are more recent than others; first up is Ben Simmons.

Sixers Injury Woes

Similar to Holmgren, Simmons’ suffered a foot injury prior to the start of his rookie campaign. However, Simmons’s injury happened even closer to the beginning of the 2016-17 season, as it occurred during a Sixers practice. Simmons also did not hurt a ligament, like Holmgren, he broke his foot. Simmons returned the following season for his rookie campaign and appeared in 81 games, averaging 15.8 PPG, 8.2 APG, and 8.1 RPG.

Simmons teammate Joel Embiid faced foot problems early in his career. This caused him to sit out two consecutive seasons before eventually making his NBA debut during the 2016-17 NBA season.

The Sixers had terrible injury luck during the process before Embiid and Simmons missed their rookie years; sixth-overall pick Nerlens Noel missed his rookie year due to a torn ACL. Although, Noel’s situation was a bit different because he injured his knee while still playing college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats and the Sixers chose to take him high in the draft anyway. Though Noel never became a star he is still a quality NBA role player, he even had a short stint with the OKC Thunder from 2018-2020.

Blake Griffin

Griffin missed his first season with the LA Clippers after sustaining a kneecap injury in LA’s final pre-season game during the 2009-10 season. Griffin recovered, coming back the following season averaging 22.5 points per game and 12.2 rebounds per game, which was the highest number of rebounds per game Griffin has ever averaged in a single season. Griffin also went on to be a multi-time All-Star, so the roadblock at the beginning of his career did not cause much of a setback in the grand scheme of things.

Mr. Thunder aka Nick Collison

Nearly 20 years ago, long before the NBA in Oklahoma City was even a thought, future OKC Thunder legend Nick Collison was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics and he missed his rookie season due to surgery on both shoulders. Fortunately for the Thunder, Collison remains close to the team. General Manager and President of Basketball Operations Sam Presti recently mentioned during a press conference discussing Holmgren that Collison would be working closely with Holmgren during his time away from the hardwood.

All in all, Chet’s injury is a setback there is no sugar coating it. At the moment, it is unclear how big of a setback it will be not only for him; but for the franchise as a whole. With that said, there are plenty of examples of players getting injured prior to their rookie season and then returning and having long, successful careers. Here’s to hoping Holmgren is the next player to join that list.