The OKC Thunder Rookies are Making an Impact Early
The Oklahoma City Thunder have only played three games this season, amassing a 2-1 record with plenty of competitive play sprinkled throughout. Even still, there’s been enough time to make a decision on whether or not the team’s newest players have been impactful.
Spoiler alert: they have been.
Chet Holmgren — Oklahoma City’s quasi-rookie who was drafted in 2022, but missed his initial season due to injury — and Cason Wallace have both been as good as advertised, helping the team on both ends.
Holmgren has long been the organization’s shiny hook on which they’d hang their hats. A 7-foot center-forward hybrid who thrives via shot-blocking, above-averaging handling and mobility as well as floor spacing, Holmgren has been looked at as a catalyst for this Thunder roster for a long, long time.
And so far, so good.
In three games, Holmgren has posted 15.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 57% overall and a blistering 55% from beyond the arc. We’ve seen highs on both ends: 7 blocks versus Evan Mobley and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and 17 first-half points versus the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
However good Thunder fans dreamed he’d be in the lows of last season, he’s been as good or better. And that’s not accounting for OKC’s newest defensive stalwart turned sharpshooter.
Wallace has been as close to perfect as it comes on the offensive end, while still providing the patented, pesky defense he was drafted for.
So far, the former Kentucky product has scored 9.7 points per game, miraculously shooting 92% overall and 100% from both the 3-point and free throw lines. Best of all, he seems to be a seamless fit next to the Thunder stars such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and more, despite being in a guard-heavy rotation.
For the first time in awhile, this Oklahoma City squad was set to be successful and sustainable without much rookie success. But to the jubilation of the Thunder faithful, they’ve gotten it anyways.
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