Chet Holmgren Shakes Off Rust in 2023 Summer League Debut

After missing his potential first season due to a foot injury, 2022 draftee Chet Holmgren made his return-to-play on Monday night.

After missing out on his entire initial season due to a Lisfranc foot injury sustained in a Pro-Am, former No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren made his long-awaited return to play in the Thunder’s Monday night Summer League contest.

It was slow goings for Holmgren early on, who understandably had to shake off the rust in his first live-game action in around a year. He left a variety of shots short, and picked up an early foul in the first few minutes.

But it wasn’t long before Holmgren got his sea-legs back.

A bucket here, a block there and by the end of the night, Holmgren had posted 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in Oklahoma City’s 10-point win over the Utah Jazz. The former Gonzaga Bulldog posted a +13 plus-minus in the contest.

It, of course, wasn’t strictly positives on the night for Holmgren. He looked relatively gassed after playing for longer stretches, and said as much in the postgame presser. He also shot 6-for-14 overall, not a perfect mark for a 7-foot center.

But it was a strong step in the right direction for Holmgren, who is set to not only see a bulk of the five-man minutes in Oklahoma City’s front court, but add some much needed rim-protection, rebounding and more for the team for the foreseeable future.

Holmgren and Thunder Summer League squad, which includes Jalen Williams, Tre Mann, Ousmane Dieng, Jaylin Williams and more, now look to take on the the Memphis Grizzlies at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 5, in Salt Lake City.

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