OKC Thunder Rookie Chet Holmgren Continues to Impress in Fourth Consecutive Win
After another solid performance last night, Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren continues to maintain his spot in tightly-contested Rookie of the Year race against Victor Wembanyama.
In a 124-108 win over the Nets, Holmgren went 7-of-10 from the field, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The 7-footer also went 3-of-5 from 3-point range against Brooklyn.
"I think we picked up our energy," Holmgren said after the game. "Early in the game they were making shots from the outside... Some of that was us being a little late on some rotations and closeouts. Once we picked that up we really made shots tough on them and started to get some stops."
Holmgren, as usual, made a few highlight plays in the Thunder's 16th annual New Year's Eve matchup. At one point, the Gonzaga product caught a beautiful lob pass from Jalen Williams and dunked the ball over Nets center Nic Claxton in one fluid motion.
At the end of the third quarter, Holmgren nailed a triple off of an inbound pass from Josh Giddey with 2.7 seconds left in the quarter to give OKC a 10-point lead heading into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, Holmgren tallied an emphatic rejection on Nets' guard Cam Thomas.
The three aforementioned plays are a good illustration of how versatile Holmgren is on the court. The rookie big man can impact games in the paint, from the perimeter and on the defensive end of the floor.
The Minnesota native's multi-faceted skill set has drastically improved the Thunder from where the team was last season when Holmgren was sidelined with a foot injury.
In addition to being the team's best rebounder, Holmgren has opened up Oklahoma City's offense for Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as well as providing a defensive anchor who is agile enough to switch and help in Mark Daigneault's system.
31 games into his NBA career, Holmgren is averaging 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 54.3% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.
The former No. 2 pick's impressive year has put him ahead of Wembanyama on NBA.com's most recent Rookie Ladder update.
If Holmgren continues to impact games the same way he has been this year, the Thunder should cruise to a secure playoff spot after competing in the Play-In Tournament last season.
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