The Chet Holmgren injury news has demoralized both the Oklahoma City Thunder and NBA fan bases. For those who don’t know by now, Holmgren will miss his rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury he suffered in a Seattle Pro-Am exhibition.
When the Thunder acquired Holmgren with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, new levels of excitement and optimism entered the fan base. The 20-year-old’s long wingspan allowed him to develop into an elite rim protector who averaged nearly four blocks a game at Gonzaga.
Now, with the injury, who knows how Holmgren will look after he his recovery. Thunder general manager Sam Presti believes the injury will cause no long-term repercussions, but there’s really only one way of finding out for certain: time.
Overall, it’s been a somber few days in Oklahoma City and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst’s recent reveal on his “Hoop Collective” podcast dampers the mood even more.
“One of our colleagues — I’m not sure they have said this publicly, maybe they have and I don’t remember — but one of our colleagues recently was watching Chet in a pickup game in LA where (Joel) Embiid was there in the pickup game. (Chet) just blocked Embiid several times, including on a 3-pointer. … Nobody who watched that run left without saying, ‘Wow, this Holmgren is a real difference maker on the court. You got to know where he’s on the court at all times.'”
Just hearing Windhorst rave about Holmgren and how he held his own against Embiid is extremely bittersweet to hear for Thunder fans.
Hopefully — for the team’s and fans’ sake — Holmgren makes a healthy recovery that includes no long-term foot problems. But only time will tell if that’ll be the case.
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