Jason Kidd Offers High Praise For Chet Holmgren With Unique Comparison Ahead of Game 3

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Chet Holmgren offer stellar first-year production to help lift the Thunder to the top seed out West. Dallas Mavericks bench boss Jason Kidd offered high praise for the big man.

Jan 24, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) looks to pass / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have grabbed the No. 1 seed in the toughest Western Conference this season, the youngest team to ever climb atop the standings in NBA history.

A large part of their improvement - swelling their win column by 15-plus games for the second straight season - has been rookie big man Chet Holmgren.

The Gonzaga product has delivered high-level defense featuring elite rim protection, outside scoring and play-finishing for Oklahoma City helping lift the Thunder to a top-five offense and defense this season.

Ahead of Game 3 against the Dallas Mavericks, the assembled media peppered Jason Kidd with questions with a wide range of topics before falling on the rookie big man. When asked to compare Holmgren to another NBA player, Kidd deliberated for around five seconds before spitting out a pair of interesting answers.

"I think Victor [Wembanyama], maybe Giannis [Antetokoumnpo] if you are looking for an older player," Jason Kidd said after pondering the question and admitting to being caught off guard by the quiz.

While Wembanyama and Holmgren will be linked together for the duration of their career, this is one of the first times someone in the NBA walls has compared the rookie big man to the former League MVP.

"[Chet Holmgren's] ability to put the ball on the floor, his ability to play on the perimeter, the way he is able to protect the rim, he is a guy who plays his role at a high level...He looks coachable, he is about the team,

Kidd then broke a smile, laughed, and spouted "Those aren't bad comps, I hope he's not offended by that."

The Mavericks sideline pacer has been extremely complimentary of the Thunder and Holmgren all series long. The two sides are currently leveled in the best-of-seven series with a win a piece.

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