Sam Presti is Not Worried About Chet Holmgren’s Development
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As every Oklahoma City Thunder fan knows, Chet Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury this offseason that will sideline him for the entirety of his rookie campaign.
Sam Presti, who has a good basis on the injury and where Holmgren stands, doesn’t see any setbacks for Holmgren’s long-term development.
This is important because Holmgren’s expectations are incredibly high, and an injury is one factor that could hinder Holmgren’s ability to become a franchise guy. But how does this affect the rebuild?
It’s easy to look at Holmgren’s injury and assume this season will turn into another tanking season, with the main guys out of the lineup towards the end of the season.
Of course, if more unfortunate injuries ensue, the season could always find its way into another losing season.
For now, the assumption is that the Thunder will have an otherwise healthy season. So, if Holmgren will make a full recovery and be ready to play next season, the Thunder should spend the next season competing the best they can all 82 games, which includes playing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey as much as possible. The duo could improve their chemistry playing together, so when Holmgren makes his Thunder debut, he will fit seamlessly into the rotation.
"As far as Chet, the thing we lose more than anything is tactically being able to see him and how he interacts with the rest of the guys. We won't get that exposure. I can't sugarcoat that," Presti said in his preseason availability.
As long as the rest of the squad develops as a group, then not seeing Holmgren alongside the rest of the team isn’t as big of a deal. As Presti mentioned at the presser, this Thunder team will be the second youngest team of all time behind only last year's team. Point being, if they do their best to compete, they’ll enter next season, with Holmgren, a better team than this year to put him in a position to succeed early.
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