NBA
In a recent pickup game vs Kevin Durant, Chet Holmgren showed off his skills with an easy 31 points
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated17 Aug 2023
In the 2021 NBA Draft, Chet Holmgren was taken second overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He missed the entire 2022-23 season after rehabbing from a Lisfranc injury. Holmgren has been staying active this offseason to be prepared for his first NBA season. During a recent pickup game with some other NBA talent, Holmgren dropped 31 points and it has fans buzzing.
The 21-year-old has been playing a lot of basketball this summer. Without any real NBA experience, Chet Holmgren needs all the playing time he can get this offseason. He’s played in the Summer League, was invited to Team USA’s training camp, and has played in a number of pickup games.
Last season, the Thunder finished 40-42 with a young and scrappy team. Adding Chet Holmgren into the mix makes the Thunder one of the most talented young teams in the NBA. The team oozed with potential last season and Holmgren at center will make them that much better.
Chet Holmgren dropped 31 points vs other NBA players in pickup 👀
He’s gonna be a problem 🔥
(Via @ThroughTheLens / h/t @leaguealerts )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 16, 2023
Chet Holmgren has the potential to win ROY this season over #1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama
The last time Chet Holmgren played a full season was in 2021-22 at Gonzaga. He played in 32 games that season and showed that has the skill set to be one of the top rookies this season. As a seven-footer, Holmgren has an elite touch from deep. In his one season at Gonzaga, he shot (.390) from range.
In the recent pickup game where he had 31 points, Holmgren was playing against another NBA star. Kevin Durant, Trae Young, Micahael Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Terry Rozier, and Austin Rivers were all competing. After missing an entire season due to injury, Holmgren has looked like the player people saw him be in college. Thunder fans are hoping that translates to the NBA.
While Holmgren’s 31 points were impressive, he still has to get used to the skill level in the NBA. Holmgren was scoring on Kevin Durant, but the two-time NBA champ was also easily scoring on Holmgren. These pickup games are a great way for the 21-year-old to stay in shape and get a small sample size of what it’s like to play vs NBA starters.
