Despite Summer League Slump, There’s No Reason to Worry About Chet Holmgren’s Outside Shot

Chet Holmgren has shot the ball at an efficient clip at every level of basketball, and a small summer sample size is no reason to worry.

A summer ago, Chet Holmgren’s 3-point shot was all the rave. It felt like he couldn’t miss in Salt Lake City, where the stretch big man knocked down multiple long range triples across his Summer League games. He did it in a variety of ways, too, drilling step-backs and taking difficult shots off the dribble.

This summer, the story was different. After a year long injury, Holmgren played his first live basketball in what felt like forever. All things considered, he played at a high level and showcased every bit of potential in his bright future. The big man averaged 16.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and most impressive, 3.5 blocks per game. He finished around the rim with ease and ran the pick-and-roll to perfection. Defensively, Holmgren already looks like one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. Even if he’s not blocking shots, he’s still altering nearly every drive in the line and changing how opposing teams try to finish around the basket.

The one area Holmgren wasn’t able to showcase was his ability to stretch the floor from behind the 3-point line. He made just one triple throughout Summer League and seemed short on almost every attempt. After a year long foot injury, that’s almost to be expected, though.

Holmgren shook off the rust quickly and was the best defender on the floor at all times. He moved well offensively and ran hard in transition. There’s always going to be growing pains after a year long recovery, though, and his 3-point shot along with his ball handling skills will likely be the last two pieces to come around. Holmgren is still getting his legs under him again, and Summer League was the perfect example of that. He has a big body of work with much larger sample sizes showcasing his outside shot at every level, though, which should ease any initial worry.

In 2021 at the USA U19, Holmgren shot 53.8% from 3-point land on 1.9 attempts per game. Then, at Gonzaga, he knocked down 39% of his outside shots on 105 total attempts on the season. After he was drafted by the Thunder in the 2022 Summer League, he sat at a 42% clip from behind the line. Not only has Holmgren been a great 3-point shooter, he’s been a consistent free throw shooter too.

The mechanics are all still the same, Holmgren’s shot was just a bit short this summer. His consistency at every level and desire to always improve should give Thunder fans no reason to worry. He’s still a solid 3-point shooter, it may just take time to get his legs back under him.

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