Over the offseason, several clips made the rounds on social media of Chet Holmgren working out with Kevin Durant.
Both lanky seven-footers share several parallels with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Holmgren was selected with the No. 2 pick of the 2022 NBA draft; Durant was selected No. 2 in the 2007 NBA draft.
If Holmgren achieves a similar level of success as Durant had in his nine seasons with the Thunder, then Sam Presti will have once again hit a grand slam with the crown jewel draft pick of this rebuild.
It only makes sense Holmgren spent time working out with Durant this offseason considering how many similarities both players’ stories share. It also sounds like there’s mutual respect among the two.
Considering all of this context, it wasn’t surprising to see Holmgren appear on Durant’s Boardroom platform. On the latest episode of “The ETCs” podcast, Holmgren spoke about his time with Durant and what he wants to learn from the future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
“Seeing that work ethic and the attention to detail he puts in on everything — obviously, he’s been through it all, he’s seen it all last 17 years — he knows what it takes,” Holmgren said. “So I’m trying to kinda follow in those footsteps and take as much as I can from him because I’m trying to play 17 years at a high level and get better each year.”
As Holmgren alluded to, Durant is a rare case of a seven-footer dealing with foot problems who didn’t let them destroy his career. A foot fracture and Achilles tear did not slow down KD. After missing all of last season with a Lisfranc injury, Holmgren is hoping to enjoy a similar fate.
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