NBA GM Survey tabs Chet Holmgren as second best rookie in five years

The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be without Chet Holmgren for the entire 2022-23 NBA season as he suffered a right foot injury during a Seattle Pro-Am event over the summer. Holmgren was selected 2nd overall in the 2022 NBA Draft and looks to be the next cornerstone of the OKC Thunder franchise.

While it does put a damper on things, as OKC fans have to wait to see their 2022 NBA Draft Day prize, Chet Holmgren is still in line for a long, hopefully healthy, and successful NBA career. Leading up to the NBA Draft in June, there were a lot of debates on if Chet Holmgren should go first overall to the Orlando Magic, or slip to the OKC Thunder at two. It is safe to say, the NBA world was split on the Gonzaga product.

NBA GM survey gives a glimpse at how the league views Chet Holmgren and his future career

NBA.com ran their annual preseason NBA GM survey in which John Schuhmann polled NBA decision-makers on some of the hottest questions lingering over the 2022-23 NBA season and beyond.

When NBA executives were asked to pick which rookie will be the best player five years from now, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero received 31 percent of the vote, while OKC Thunder big man Chet Holmgren earned 28 percent of the vote.

Jaden Ivey and Jabari Smith Jr tied for third place, each getting 14 percent of the vote, while Dyson Daniels and Bennedict Mathurin were the only other rookies to cash in a single vote.

Last season, the league projected Evan Mobley to be the best player at a 33 percent clip. Five years ago? Woof, the top decision-makers in the NBA pegged Josh Jackson as the best player in five years. Safe to say, player evaluation is not an exact science but it is nice to see what the NBA landscape thinks about the 2nd overall pick.