How Can Thunder Rookie Chet Holmgren Improve This Offseason?

Chet Holmgren has a sky-high ceiling given his height and defensive impact, but if he truly wants to be an all-around contributor, there is one key aspect of his game to focus on developing in training camp.

This season, Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren will be competing for multiple NBA awards.

Whether it be a spot on the rising stars squad, a big for Defensive Player of the Year or Rookie of the Year, everything the young center has shown thus far has been encouraging for his expected impact.

But while Holmgren has a sky-high ceiling, that doesn’t mean his game is perfect — not by a long shot. And according to Bleacher Report, there is one key aspect of his game that needs to be workshopped in training camp.

“Holmgren should look to tighten his handle for smaller windows, and experiment with and discover new ways to get clean looks in the half court,” the site wrote. “Creating cleanly against a set defense will be Holmgren's biggest challenge early in his career.”

Yes, Holmgren does have a height advantage on many NBA rookies. Yes, he’s primed to have a huge year with the Thunder, but he does need to work on creating space on the dribble.

Summer League showed just how dominant Holmgren can be on the defensive end, but that also can’t come without an offensive impact, especially if he wants to maximize his potential.

“Chet Holmgren should provide immediate, translatable rim protection,” Bleacher Report wrote. “[He needs] tools for finishing, and a floor-spacing shooting stroke. He'll make some highlights with his transition ball-handling as well.”

At his height, finding ways to create space off the dribble certainly would help his offensive game to flow. If he can find an open shot and knock it down, his game could be one of the most effective on the entire Thunder roster, especially with other playmakers there to set him up.

Between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, Holmgren has the teammates. His shooting and ball-handling are the next things to follow.

And if he can find those, there isn’t any telling what kind of impact he’d have just as a rookie, let alone in the coming years.

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