Thunder Guard Reveals Encouraging Chet Holmgren Praise

The Oklahoma City Thunder star center should hit the ground running with the new season.

Apr 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) brings the ball up court against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Training camp is underway for the Oklahoma City Thunder with the preseason looming. The squad is back in the city as they work through final preparations before they play external competition once again.

One player who should take quite a leap in the upcoming season is center Chet Holmgren. The No. 2 overall selection from the 2022 NBA Draft is heading into his second season on the hardwood, and he's set to take a leap with a strengthened squad around him.

With the players back in the gym together, Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins complimented Holmgren, claiming he looked good right away.

“Chet is one guy specifically who, as soon as I came back to OKC for the summer, I’m like, ‘he looks good,’” Wiggins said.

Holmgren's work ethic has never been in question. He missed his entire "rookie" season with an injury suffered during offseason festivities. When he was finally able to hit the hardwood, he did so by appearing in 82 games, averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks per game.

While he was impressive in his first season on the court, expect an even better version of him in year two. Thunder star forward Jalen Williams claimed that he's even more vocal this season, providing another leader on the court.

"Chet's been vocal this whole entire time. I think now it's just more focused vocalization - being able to talk out the coverages, being more confident in that, understanding his positioning," Williams said.

With the Thunder have an MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, two stars in Williams and Holmgren, combined with a handful of incredible role players, Oklahoma City is brewing a potentially elite season.

The natural development of the young core and more playoff experience will give this team an incredible boost following a 57-win campaign a season ago.

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