Jalen Williams Makes the Case for Chet Holmgren to Win Rookie of the Year

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen CHet Holmgren put together a fantastic rookie of the year case as Jalen Williams laid out in a recent interview with GQ Magazine.

Feb 29, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and San / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

As the NBA season winds down, award season ramps up. As debates rage on as to who should take home the MVP award, Coach of the Year honors and the Rookie of the Year Award.

Victor Wembanyama has looked like the clear-cut winner of the 2023 Rookie of the Year award for over a year, as the prospect billed as the next LeBron James would be able to roll out of bed and win the award as to not have egg on the face of voters the same who cast Wembanyama as the second coming of basketball's greatest of all time.

Though Wembanyama did not just run out of bed, he has dominated the NBA creating new ways for a seven-plus-footer to score the basketball and is rightfully on his way to collecting the Rookie of the Year honors.

However, something no one could project was that he would be pitted against the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Chet Holmgren. The Gonzaga big man, labeled as a unicorn in his own right, sustained a season-ending injury in August before his draft-classes rookie season making him eligible for this years honor.

Holmgren not only held his own in the race but has put up numbers that would etch his name on the Rookie of the Year trophy in any other season, except for the one against a 7-foot-4 basketball extraterrestrial.

However, his teammate — and fellow 2022 NBA Draft mate — Jalen Williams is making a compelling case for Holmgren to edge out the Spurs sensation.

“What's his case for Rookie of the Year? Well, I think his numbers speak for themselves. He's put together a hell of a year so far. We were basically .500 last year without him, and now we already have 50 wins. To me, that's a pretty good case," Williams said in a recent GQ Article.

While Holmgren will likely finish runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award, as Williams did last season, the rising stars will be performing under the postseason lights next week as one of the best teams in basketball, which is worth more than a first-year trophy.

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