Chet Holmgren: 'It's Like the Injury Never Happened'
The Oklahoma City Thunder are joining the NBA Summer League action with a relatively stacked roster, and this is without the team playing their most recent draft picks.
The likes of Chet Holmgren, Rookie of the Year runner-up Jalen Williams, Tre Mann, Jaylin Williams and Ousmane Dieng are rolling out on the court with the Thunder.
Cason Wallace, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Keyontae Johnson will join the Summer League lineup in Las Vegas, the Thunder's stop following their games in Salt Lake City.
In the meantime, Thunder fans were able to witness Holmgren play live basketball for the first time since his lisfranc injury in his right foot at a Drew League game last season.
The Thunder's matchup against the Utah Jazz wasn't a pretty start. They led the Jazz 16-13 after one frame, and Holmgren's performance reflected that score.
Holmgren, for obvious reasons had some rust he needed to knock off. After that, Holmgren found some rhythm. The second quarter was his, and things started to click. He got up to ten points by halftime, and his moves were back in full swing.
Not to mention, the 7-footer had gained 13 pounds since last season, weighing in at 208 pounds before Summer League. Holmgren was playing like he felt every pound, too, as he was quite physical with the opposition.
“It’s like the injury never happened…if you erased my memory, I wouldn’t know anything happened to my foot," the former No. 2 overall pick said after the game.
This would show in the box score. Holmgren finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in 29 minutes of action. Though not quite as shocking as his six blocks in his Summer League debut last season, Thunder fans must feel relieved to see Holmgren be as productive as he was, all things considered.
Holmgren's teammates tend to agree about his impact, as Jalen Williams claimed that having him healthy made "paint protection very easy."
For Thunder fans, things are continuing to look up as they're fresh off a play-in appearance and near-playoffs appearance. With the big man coming back, things have the potential to get that much sweeter next season.
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