Two OKC Thunder Players Earn All-Rookie Honors

The Oklahoma City Thunder's season might have ended in the second round at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, but the season was nothing short of a major success. The youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history also completed a first-round sweep.

Two of the team's biggest defensive contributors are also playing in their first NBA season. The 57-25 Thunder was one of the stronger defense with rookies Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace bringing solid defensive impacts to the team.

The two players' impacts didn't stop on defense, with both bringing versatility and shooting offensively. Their impacts and availability -- both appearing in every game this season -- led to both landing All-Rookie honors.

Holmgren, the Rookie of the Year runner-up, was a consensus All-Rookie First Team member, joining Victor Wembanyama, the Rookie of the Year, as the only two who were unanimous first team members. Those two were accompanied by Brandon Miller, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Brandin Podziemski to round out the first team.

Wallace was selected onto the All-Rookie Second team, joined by Dereck Lively II, GG Jackson II, Keyonte George and Amen Thompson.

On the season, Holmgren averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks per game while playing an average of 29.4 minutes. It was a bright, potential-filled season for Holmgren, who joined Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams in a big three that's going to find success for years.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault knows Holmgren has much, much more in store for years to come.

“This is the lowest level of Chet Holmgren we're going to see, which is pretty exciting. The reason I'm so confident saying that is because of his appetite for improvement. Basketball is his No. 1 priority. He sleeps in his sneakers,” Daigneault said of Holmgren.

The first team All-Rookie is going to be a staple on the core of this Thunder team, as his impact helped the team catapult from 40 wins a season ago to 57 this season as he made his long-awaited NBA debut.

Wallace accompanied Holmgren for 82 games this regular season, showing his value as a guard on this team throughout the playoffs. His All-Rookie Second Team selection was more than warranted, too. He averaged 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.6 minutes per game this season.

Wallace shot 42 percent from beyond the arc this season -- with Holmgren shooting 37 percent from 3-point land. Both provide a spark on defense while adding floor-spacing and versatility on offense, making them elite fits alongside Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams for Oklahoma City.

The two are only going to improve, and the accolade is only a marker for how big their impact was immediately, and that's only going to get better moving forward.

In all honesty, depending on how the Thunder approaches this offseason, Wallace is going to be able to fight for a starting spot come next season.

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