Chet Holmgren Takes Back Rookie Ladder Lead
The Rookie Ladder has gone back and forth all season long at this point. Although the Holiday stretch just passed and it’s still early on, there has been plenty of fluctuation. Despite it all, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren is back on top.
Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama have been battling it out for the top spot of the rookie rankings for the past three months. Long before that, it was almost a foregone conclusion that it would be a two-man race. Both big men have been compared to one another from a young age and have already had a handful of classic battles.
Holmgren retaking the top spot shouldn’t discredit Wembanyama, who has been terrific this season. It should be a testament to just how good Holmgren has been. He’s one of the biggest reasons why Oklahoma City is 19-9 and a top team in the Western Conference.
He’s coming off of an impressive game against a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Rudy Gobert, where he dropped 20 points, five assists and four rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. The Timberwolves appear to be a nightmare matchup with the Thunder on paper because of their two-big starting lineup, but it didn’t slow Holmgren down even a little bit.
After Holmgren's big game on Tuesday night, he's now averaging 17.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.7 blocks. He's stuffing the staff sheet in just over 29 minutes per game while shooting 53% from the floor, 37.6% from 3-point range and 84.5% from the free throw line.
Wembanyama doesn't have the luxury of floor spacing and another star on the roster, but Holmgren is making the most of his situation.
If Oklahoma City continues its current trajectory and Holmgren is contributing heavily to winning basketball, it would be hard for anyone else to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.
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