(Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
Every player with star potential who has come into the NBA in its history has had a moment in their rookie season when they knew they were playing on another level of basketball and had to adjust and improve to keep up and make a name for themselves.
Although Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder had to wait another year to get his NBA career started due to an injury suffered before the 2022-23 season, the rising star didn’t disappoint once he got on the basketball floor for his new team.
As many players do with the size and skinny frame of Holmgren, who plays primarily on the perimeter, there were a lot of questions about whether he’d be able to live up to expectations in the NBA while sharing the floor with superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Fortunately for Oklahoma City, the Thunder have a star in the making with Holmgren, but that didn’t stop him from getting embarrassed right out of the gate in his rookie campaign by veteran center Andre Drummond, as he said on Podcast P with Paul George recently.
“My welcome-to-the-NBA moment in a game was when I got stripped by Drummond, and then he made me fall on the fast break in my first game,” Holmgren said. “I was so salty after the game, too.”
Nobody will remember:
– Chet’s “Welcome to the League” moments (let’s hope)
But for now, here they are pic.twitter.com/RKeHLPQVAP
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) August 20, 2024
Even though that was clearly an embarrassing welcome-to-the-NBA moment for Holmgren, few remembered that it even took place, as he quickly became a star in Oklahoma City, with many believing he has a bright future ahead with the Thunder.
Although the Thunder far exceeded expectations last year, Holmgren and the Thunder won’t be surprising anyone in 2024-25, as the consensus is that Oklahoma City will be a powerhouse in the Western Conference for the foreseeable future.
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