After nearly a year, Chet Holmgren made his return to the court in summer league, playing a handful of games throughout the two-week event.
Holmgren quickly reminded folks why he was the 2022 No. 2 pick. In four games, he averaged 16.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. Against the Indiana Pacers, he had his best outing yet with 25 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.
Holmgren was a force inside of the paint against the Pacers, scoring 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting in that area with a mix of alley-oops, dunks, layups and second-chance points. He also generated a 7-of-8 night from the free-throw line due to his activity below the basket.
Holmgren dominating summer league is exciting in itself — what makes it even more exciting is the fact he’s done it without playing with OKC’s best players.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Lu Dort outgrew summer league and Jalen Williams appeared in just one game this year. This means Holmgren has played with mostly rookies and G League players.
This was evident on Wednesday, where several entry passes missed the mark on a rolling Holmgren, but due to his size, he was able to still catch the ball and finish plays. This likely won’t be as glaring of an issue in the regular season when he’s playing with the aforementioned group of players — especially Giddey.
Following the win, Holmgren was asked about playing with Giddey. Both players shared the court in last year’s summer league, but the third-year guard outgrew the summer event.
That didn’t stop Holmgren from showing his excitement about eventually playing with the tall point guard, stating Giddey makes everybody’s job easier with his superb passing/vision and playmaking abilities.
“It’s going to be super exciting,” Holmgren said. “He unlocks easy points for anybody he’s playing with. He’s got crazy vision. At that size, he can kinda pass over anybody and see over defenses. I’m excited to play with him and we’re going to have a good time.”
Holmgren showed the type of threat he could be in the pick-and-roll working with players like Jared Butler throughout summer league. It’s evident defenses will need to be honest with him as he’s a threat both on the roll and in the pop.
With playmakers such as Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander, the level of difficulty for defending OKC pick-and-rolls will increase tenfold. After years of playing without an actual offensive threat at center, Holmgren is going to dramatically change the dynamics of the Thunder offense.
