Chet Holmgren Has Shown Great Efficiency When Shooting The Ball

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of one of the best starts in NBA history. They’ve started the season 21-1 and have had storylines that have captured the league's attention as the season has gone on.

Headlines of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak of games with at least 20 points have been a focal point of the team, as well as the Thunder’s astounding defensive play. However, sometimes it seems like one player doesn’t get the attention he always deserves.

Chet Holmgren has been essential to the Thunder’s hot start and has had a good start to the season himself. Holmgren is averaging 18.4 points, eight rebounds and is leading the team in blocks with 1.4 per game.

Holmgren has shown massive jumps early in the season, averaging a career-high in points, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.

The 7-foot-1 unicorn is the second leading scorer on the team, just behind Gilgeous-Alexander. Holmgren might not score as much as the MVP, but so far this season, he’s actually shot the ball better.

Holmgren is shooting 56.1% from the floor this year, which ranks him twelfth in the NBA. More impressively, only three players who have a higher shooting percentage actually score more than the third-year rising star.

The Thunder big man has also taken strides in his free-throw shooting this year, as he is currently shooting 81.4% from the charity stripe this year. This is not only a career high but also a sizable jump from his percentage last year, which was 75.4%.

These improvements in Holmgren’s game have made him a valuable scoring option this year during the Thunder’s run. Last year, when Holmgren was available, he was always considered the third option behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. However, with Williams missing the first 19 games of the season, Holmgren was able to show that he has the ability to be a dangerous second option.

This was shown against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct.25 when Holmgren had 31 points on just 12 shots. He was the game’s leading scorer and lifted the Thunder to a win.

With Williams back in the lineup, Holmgren won’t be forced to score as much for the Thunder to win, however, he can still be counted on when needed. For instance, on Tuesday night, Holmgren scored 21 on 8-12 shooting to help the Thunder squeeze past the Warriors.

OKC is on track for a season that could be remembered forever, and Holmgren’s efficiency will be a key factor in making sure this season stays on that track.