OKC Thunder Center Chet Holmgren Lands at Puzzling Spot on Sophomore's List

OKC Thunder Center Chet Holmgren Lands at Puzzling Spot on Sophomore's List by ESPN this week.

May 15, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) reacts to an official’s call after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter of game five of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

This NBA season is right around the corner, while it is inching closer at the moment nothing is happening around the association besides debates, polls, rankings and exhibition ten contracts trickling out for training camp.

Earlier this week, ESPN's Jeremy Woo released a list of the most interesting sophomores entering the 2024-25 season. This list is comprised of the 2023 NBA Draft class, along with Chet Holmgren - the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft who missed his entire first year due to a Lisfranc Fracture.

Holmgren was stellar in his first year, finishing runner-up for Rookie of the Year only lagging behind the Generational Victor Wembanyama, anchored a top-five defense and helped spark a top-five offseason as the OKC Thunder turned in the No. 1 seed out West.

The Gonzaga product averaged 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and nearly a steal per game while shooting 53 percent from the floor, 37 percent from beyond the arc and 79 percent at the charity stripe.

This was not good enough to crack the top two of Woo's list of most interesting Sophomore's seeing Amen Thompson rank ahead of him.

" If last season is going to be the absolute baseline for what Holmgren provides the Thunder, from his offensive scheme versatility and perimeter skill to his paint protection, the future is a scary thought. Suffice it to say that no player on this list figures to be more consequential in the actual championship race, as Holmgren will again play a major role on an evolving, exciting Oklahoma City team," Woo said about the Thunder center when explaining his ranking.

Still, Woo ranked the Rockets guard over Holmgren who is a more known commodity.

"How Thompson handles a full season as a featured player -- one who likely has more say over the Rockets' long-term fate than anyone -- could veer into must-watch territory if things continue to click," Woo said in making the case for Thompson.

This could be viewed as just shuffling names for the sake of freshness, there is an argument that the unknown is more interesting than the known.

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