ESPN published its yearly article on its polling of 15 NBA coaches, executives and scouts, and the results a encouraging for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The only player from the Thunder to receive votes for any of the categories was No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, who tied with Paolo Banchero for most votes received to the question who will be the best rookie in five years.
“After plenty of pre-draft debate about how the top three picks would play out, two of the choices at the top of the draft — Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren — split 12 of the 15 votes here.
The other — Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. — didn’t receive one.
Banchero received a late push to catch Holmgren atop this poll over the past few days in the wake of Holmgren’s being ruled out for the season with a foot injury last week…
Holmgren, meanwhile, was praised by panelists for his ability to impact the game in a variety of ways, which gave him the edge over the rest of his rookie class.
‘He can shoot, he can pass, he plays both ends, he’s a dedicated worker, he’s freakishly long,’ an East scout said. ‘He’s going to have ample opportunities to shine.'”
It appears that at least some of the votes were taken following the news that Holmgren will miss the 2022-23 season due to a Lisfranc injury. That says a lot about his potential: He still finished tied for most votes received despite the serious injury.
