It looks like fans might see Chet Holmgren sooner than expected.
During his end-of-season press conference, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti didn’t officially rule Holmgren out from participating in the summer leagues, which will be held in July.
“It’s possible,” Presti said. “We’ll see when we get to that point. If he’s at that point where we feel good about making that decision — I wouldn’t say he wouldn’t. It’s very possible that he does, but he’s got a lot of time between now and then.
“He’ll want to play for sure because he’ll play anywhere, anytime. It’s just a matter of if it’s the right thing for him physically at that point.”
It’s a little eyebrow-raising to see Presti not officially rule Holmgren out from summer league. Many assumed the Thunder would play it extra safe and not have him return to in-game action until the 2023-24 season starts.
When asked if he’d play in summer league during his exit interview, Holmgren was noncommittal and said he’s focused on continuing his rehab and progressing toward 5v5 action, which is in the near future.
“I’m focused on following the plan that we have in place, and when that time comes, that’s part of the plan, I’ll follow the plan like I have up to this point,” Holmgren said. “But right now I’m focused on the plan that I have here in the near future, and we’ll figure that out as we go.”
The No. 2 pick missed the 2022-23 season recovering from a season-ending Lisfranc injury he suffered last August. Holmgren’s last competitive game was in last year’s summer league, during which he garnered hype due to how impressive he looked.
Presti also acknowledged during his presser that the Thunder will play in two separate summer leagues once again this year — as was the case last year with Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
