'It Pays Dividends For Me': Thunder Rookie Chet Holmgren Building Relationship with Kevin Durant

Chet Holmgren's rehab in the offseason has been fruitful, even including workouts with a former Thunder great.

Before there was 7-foot-2 Chet Holmgren, there was another unicorn-esque, nearly 7-foot deadly scorer in Oklahoma City. Some Thunder fans may have tried to block out all the memories, but they should realize by now Kevin Durant carved out the meat of his legacy in the 405.

The development seen in Durant from the franchise’s inaugural 2008 season in OKC to the end of the 2015-16 season showed a promising rookie leap into NBA superstardom.

Leaving the Thunder following a poor final three contests against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals in 2016 left an extremely bitter taste in OKC fans’ mouths. Especially when they examined his 32.3% outing from the field in Game 6.

But despite what the naysayers spew, Durant was a legend and an immeasurable icon in the city before his departure. Now as a Phoenix Sun and two-time NBA Champion, he’s rubbing off some of his legendary aura onto another possible Thunder great in Holmgren.

Through the OKC rookie’s rehab of a lisfranc injury, Holmgren’s been aiming to get back into league-ready shape before the season starts on Oct. 25 against the Bulls. Durant has helped him do that, as they’ve linked up together multiple times to put up shots and sharpen each other's iron.

“Seeing that work ethic and the attention to detail… He knows what it takes,” Holmgren told Boardroom’s Eddie Gonzalez. “I’m trying to follow in those footsteps and take as much as I can from him cause I’m trying to play 17 years, too, at a high level and get better each year.

“It starts in the gym and being able to get in the gym with somebody like [Durant] at such a young stage in my career, it pays dividends for me.”

“Seeing that work ethic and the attention to detail… I’m tryna follow in those footsteps and take as much as I can from him cus I’m tryna play 17 years too at a high level,”

Chet Holmgren on playing pickup games with Kevin Durant ⚡️

(via @boardroom) pic.twitter.com/gdzrkGQwhu

— Cooper Jones (@CooperJNBA) September 29, 2023

Coincidentally, Durant suffered a Jones fracture before the 2014-15 season, a year in which many thought the Thunder could win it all. While it wasn’t supposed to hinder him for more than the first couple of months of the season, the issues persisted and forced him to have three surgeries on his right foot in a matter of six months.

Sidelined for the entire year, besides the months of December, January and early February, Durant’s injury didn’t have much bearing on his return the following season. He averaged 32.5 points in the first two games of the season in October.

But as of late September 2023, Thunder fans will witness another season off a rehab of one of their more prized players. Holmgren remains poised, and has contended his idea that the work he puts in will “pay dividends.” It’ll be a season to watch for the versatile big man out of Gonzaga. 

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