Although San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama has stolen the rookie spotlight lately, Oklahoma City Thunder youngster Chet Holmgren is having an impressive debut season himself.
Holmgren, who was drafted in 2022 but missed last season due to a foot injury, seems to have a very bright future in the NBA.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will get a close look at him (again) on Wednesday when they face the Thunder, and it seems like Cavs big man Jarrett Allen is looking forward to it.
“It’s always amazing when somebody that tall is so skilled and fluid,” Allen said of Holmgren. “I don’t know too much about him but watching his game, he does it all. That’s the prototypical big that the modern era is moving towards.”
When it comes to skilled big men with guard skills, the Cavs have one of their own, and his name is Evan Mobley. Holmgren and Mobley will share the floor on Wednesday, giving fans an intriguing matchup to monitor.
When the Cavs and Thunder faced off earlier this season, Oklahoma City came away with a 108-105 win. Holmgren posted 16 points, 13 boards and a whopping seven blocks in the matchup while Mobley had 14 points, 15 boards and two blocks.
The Cavs would certainly love to get the Thunder back for the loss earlier this season. Wednesday’s game will be the final matchup of the regular season between the two teams.
Overall this season, Holmgren is averaging 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 blocks per game while maintaining very efficient shooting clips. He’s knocking down 55.7 percent of his shots from the field and 53.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
The 21-year-old may have a hard time maintaining those shooting clips all season long, but his NBA career is off to a phenomenal start. Moreover, his OKC squad is 4-3 through seven games, and there is plenty of excitement surrounding the organization.
Holmgren is currently seen as an underdog to Wembanyama in the Rookie of the Year race, but there is still plenty of time for the Thunder big man to try to make it a trickier conversation. The Cavs, however, will look to throw a wrench into his progress on Wednesday and exit OKC with their fourth win of the season.
