Chet Holmgren of OKC appears to be in for a strong rookie campaign after garnering accolades from a number of current and past NBA players this summer. Chet Holmgren, a rookie big man for Oklahoma City, has been a hot topic of discussion all summer.
The former No. 2 overall choice has been training hard to bounce back after a season-ending injury a year ago. Holmgren put in a lot of effort, and it appears to have paid off because the 7-foot-1 center had a strong Summer League performance.
Many former and present NBA players have stated that they believe in OKC’s big man because of the former 5-star prospect’s high recruitment ranking, his success thus far in Summer League competition, and Holmgren’s work ethic.
What Darren Collison believes Chet Holmgren is like
Darren Collison, an NBA veteran of 11 seasons who played the most of his time with the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, recently stated that he believes Holmgren will be highly successful owing to his work ethic.
“I think Chet is gonna flat out amazing… If Chet continues to help [OKC] out defensively with his length and his size, he can be Defensive Player of the Year down the road.”
NBA vet Darren Collison on Chet Holmgren’s upcoming rookie season ⛈️
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“I think Chet is going to be, you know, flat out amazing,” “Chet is somebody that works extremely hard, he doesn’t take reps for granted. You look at Chet in the gym, he’s going hard.”
The No. 2 choice in the 2022 draft, according to Collison, also possesses a strong basketball IQ and a terrific sense of the game saying “He understands the game, even at that age,” “IQ is extremely high.”
Could Chet Holmgren be one of the best defensive players in NBA
Collison concluded his discussion of Holmgren by praising his defence and claiming that the Thunder center may be one of the league’s best defenders. Collison added : “Chet’s going to bring something defensively to OKC that they may have been missing or that they probably need from him,” . “I think if Chet continues to, you know, help that team out defensively with his length and his size, I think he has a chance to be Defensive Player of the Year down the road.”
The Thunder have indeed been lacking a player with Holmgren’s skill set, as Collison correctly points out. Although Oklahoma City boasts a few great defenders, since Serge Ibaka, they have not had a rim protector like Holmgren. Even at that time, Ibaka’s defensive skill set was distinct from Holmgren’s.
In terms of overall blocks, OKC was one of the lowest 10 NBA teams in the previous season. To address Collison’s concern, Holmgren ought to be able to join the team right away and contribute to boosting this figure.
Since there are other capable defenders on the squad, including Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams, and Aaron Wiggins, Holmgren won’t have to carry the club’s defensive load alone as a rookie.
