Could Chet Holmgren Win Defensive Player of the Year as a Rookie?

Chet Holmgren will use his elite rim protection to attempt to be the first NBA rookie to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Chet Holmgren looked the part in his Summer League action this year.

Coming off an injury that kept him out the entirety of his true rookie season, Holmgren is looking to make a massive impact in OKC this season. The young, lanky big man was a force in the Summer League for the most part. The offense was there, but more importantly his defense was elite.

At times, he let players get around him or was simply out strengthened, but nonetheless he was an elite-level rim protector. His long arms and frame allow him to block an array of attack angles from opposing players.

Holmgren is a favorite to win this year’s Rookie of the Year award, but with his skillset, other awards are not out of the question and that includes Defensive Player of the Year. Now, the odds are not in Holmgren’s favor. No player in the history of the award has won in their rookie season. Vegas Insider gives Holmgren +5000 odds to win the award, which are the No. 17 best odds in the league. He has the third-best odds of players eligible for Rookie of the Year. Victor Wembanyama and Jarace Walker both have odds listed better than Holmgren.

Holmgren, like the other rookies, has no true NBA minutes just yet to judge his skills on, but his pre-draft and Summer League numbers do paint a nice picture. In his lone season at Gonzaga, Holmgren was a juggernaut in the paint. He averaged 9.9 rebounds and a whopping 3.7 blocks per game. In the 2022 Summer League, Holmgren averaged more than two blocks per game and in the 2023 Summer League he averaged 3.5.

It’s clear Holmgren has the ability to be an elite rim protector at the NBA level, and being a big man gives him a step up in the race for Defensive Player of the Year. Five of the last six winners of the DPOY have been big men, with Marcus Smart being the only guard in that stretch.

With Holmgren likely having a major role in the Thunder rotation, he will likely have the chance to make a run at the Defensive Player of the Year and could be the first rookie to win the award in NBA history, he would also be the first Thunder to win the award.

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