Chet Holmgren seems primed for superstardom

Chet Holmgren’s first NBA campaign went under the radar somewhat thanks to the performance of fellow rookie Victor Wembanyama, not to mention the MVP-like season of his Thunder teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

This year, however, Holmgren is done taking a backseat. During OKC’s opening night win in Denver, the Gonzaga product put on an absolute show, registering a statistical mark never reached by any player in franchise history while shooting 61% from the field.

The highlight came when Holmgren blocked Nikola Jokic and followed it up with a nasty poster dunk on the other end. Holmgren thoroughly defeated Jokic, the reigning MVP who is considered by many to be the best player in the world, during the Thunder’s 102-87 loss to the Nuggets.

Last season, Holmgren shifted to SGA and Jalen Williams, the Thunder’s top two scorers, and scored most of his points within the flow of the offense. That meant tracking down threes, clearing the glass for any errors or cutting to remove incorrect cues and screens.

This season, however, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault is making a concerted effort to make plays for Holmgren, who got plenty of touches around the rim on Thursday and finished with 18 paint points. By comparison, the big 7-foot man made 1 only 2.3 field goals per game in the paint last season, with most of his shots around the restricted area coming from alley-oops or putback dunks.

Holmgren was also an absolute beast on defense, contesting 11 two-point shots at Denver at the edge and counting four blocks. To put things in perspective, no other player on either team contested even six two-point shots.

It was clear that Holmgren did not shy away from contact on both sides of the floor. The 22-year-old attributed his new physicality to the pounds he gained during the offseason.

All signs point to Holmgren becoming a superstar this season. He’s almost a shoo-in to make the All-Star team, and it will be a travesty if he doesn’t make an All-Defensive team.