Chet Holmgren's Rookie Season Breeds Confidence In Ceiling With OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to gain confidence in Chet Holmgren reaching his ceiling after his rookie season.

May 7, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) reacts after scoring a three-point basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of game one of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

When the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Chet Holmgren No. 2 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft things were different. The Thunder had yet to make their first of two 15-plus win total leaps, questions of if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was true No. 1 option filled the air, the attention turned to the Gonzaga product as a beacon of hope in the team's rebuild.

Holmgren represents the lone top-five selection on the Thunder's roster and dominated Summer League in his first go at it back in 2022 before suffering a season-ending Lisfranc Fracture more questions surrounded if the once unicorn-taunted prospect could get back to form or reach his ceiling.

After a rookie season that saw Holmgren transform the Thunder's defense, land him on the All-Rookie team and finish runner up to Victor Wembanyama for the Rookie of the Year chase, the internal confidence in the youngsters ceiling is sky-high.

"Right now this is, in my opinion, the lowest level of Chet Holmgren we're going to see, which is pretty exciting. And the reason I'm so confident saying that is because of his appetite for improvement. He's a guy that is incredibly focused. Basketball is his number one priority. He sleeps in his sneakers. He will have a great summer physically and skill-wise," OKC Thunder bench boss Mark Daigneault said on Sunday at the Oklahoma City Thunder's annual exit interviews.

Ahead of a massive summer of growth, as this Thunder organization saw fellow 2022 NBA Draft class member Jalen Williams take massive strides from his rookie to sophomore campaign, a pair of NBA veterans joined Daigneault in his praise of Holmgren.

"I think about him the same way as since I became his teammate. When I go into every game, there's a team that gives me a scouting report, and I do my own scouting. I study players. I tend to understand players. I think that Chet [Holmgren] is a great, talented young guy that's extremely focused on getting better," Biyombo said "Chet played a big role in the team's success, and I'm really, really happy for him to be able to miss his last season and come into this season and play a full season. A lot of respect for him."

It can not be overstated just how impactful the 21-year-old was in allowing the Oklahoma City Thunder to reach their 57-win heights, Mike Muscala has spent a lot of time around Holmgren over the past two seasons.

"Honestly to me the biggest thing -- some of the biggest things with Chet are obviously his
competitiveness and just he never -- he's always fighting hard every play. He'll run back hard in transition. He'll make the right rotation defensively. It's a lot of little things. Obviously he's got great skill for his size. I think he's the most underrated shot blocker in the NBA," Muscala said "I was really impressed with what I saw, he has a bright future."

Ahead of a summer full of working out with former All-Stars and potentially practicing with Team USA for Team Select, the expectations for Holmgren's second act are rightfully sky-high.

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