Chet Holmgren

Holmgren is a 7-footer who projects as an elite rim protector with guard skills.

I can't wait to see him in the NBA, but I think he winds up as a good, but a bit inconsistent, modern stretch-center. Since Holmgren's still dogged by questions about his frame and shelf life as a durable presence, I'll pick him to be the worst of the three. I think it's more than reasonable to project at least one of the big three (Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero and Holmgren) to not be a top-five player in this class by the time we look up in 2030 and take stock of all that's happened. There is, of course, some doubt as to whether Holmgren will live up to the hype. Can he hold up to the physical toll of the NBA? Everyone will cite the fact that scouts voiced similar concerns about Kevin Durant when he was coming out of college, and indeed the NBA has become much more about skill than physicality. The concerns about Holmgren's slight frame are legitimate -- but he's such a unique prospect with incredible potential that he's the right pick here.

During the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Perkins was on ESPN's set when they interviewed Chet Holmgren, the No.

Just pay attention, just listen to what they say. With Holmgren going to Perkins' former team, ESPN host Malika Andrews noted that Perk is famous for giving pep talks. "I'm just going to tell you to be ready," Perkins told Holmgren. "I know that you are.

The 2022 NBA Draft is just hours away, and the top three seem to be locked among Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), Jabari Smith (Auburn), and Paolo Banchero (Duke).

One of the more recent comparisons for Holmgren has been to a young Giannis. Not MVP Giannis, but 2013s 15th overall pick of the draft. We saw in the NCAA Tournament that Holmgren’s play felt underwhelming at times as the competition got stronger, tougher, and stepped up a notch. It’s not impossible, but I’d like to see if Holmgren can add half the weight Giannis has over his time in the league. Regardless of Banchero’s overnight rise, I’d still be inclined to draft him ahead of Holmgren. Banchero’s game and body are ready to contribute in the NBA immediately. Holmgren is pulling up the rear in this comparison with Smith and Banchero. But missing on the second overall pick when there’s a better option (or two) available is something not easily forgotten.

The Oklahoma City Thunder chose Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren with the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft.

The Thunder have not won a playoff series since Durant left and have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. The Thunder selected Arkansas’ Jaylin Williams with the 34th overall pick. The 6-10, 240-pound forward averaged 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last season. Gilgeous-Alexander, the oldest player in that group, is just short of his 24th birthday. “He’s going to have to adjust and learn like any player,” Presti said. Dieng played for the New Zealand Breakers last season and averaged 8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds. The Thunder hope Holmgren eventually can help them regain some of the glory from the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook era. “We’re pretty comfortable with the idea of him blending in with the group that we have,” Presti said. “He’s super talented,” Williams said. He’s the first Santa Clara player picked since Steve Nash was selected 15th overall in 1996. I feel like I can kind of pair up with them and help enhance theirs as well as have their skill sets enhance mine.” “It’s a lot of great players there with unique skill sets.

Gonzaga star Chet Holmgren is taking his lanky 7'0" frame to TEAM ARENA after the TEAM selected him XXX overall in the 2022 NBA draft. INSERT Before he...

The big man joins a young, rebuilding Thunder team with a promising backcourt of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. Oklahoma City needed to improve its frontcourt with an infusion of talent, though, and Holmgren fits that bill. The Minnesota native lived up to the hype in his only year of college. Before he ever played a game for the Zags, Holmgren was widely tipped to be a top-five pick in this year's draft. Vit Krejci, PG: $1.6M (2025) Tre Mann, PG: $3.5M (2025) Scouting Report: The draft's top defensive prospect, Holmgren should be an immediate difference-maker with his elite rim-protection tools and instincts.

Long described as a unicorn, Holmgren brings his unique skill set and skinny frame to the NBA.

Couple that with the presumption that he’s not going to be able to stand his ground, and people assume he’s too easy going. He can dribble and shoot (39 percent from the arc) with ease, is comfortable leading a break as much as finishing one, has great hands, nimble feet and an incredibly high basketball IQ. He averaged a near double-double (14 points and 9.9 rebounds), shot 60 percent from the floor and blocked 3.7 shots per game. In what seemed like maybe 10 strides, Holmgren raced down the other end of the court, going right back at Watson, who tried to drive baseline. He’s always going to keep an alignment with his ethics.’’ That helped Holmgren stay level-headed through a Gonzaga season where his every move was dissected and projected for its professional value; and it will help him even more now, as he steps into the klieg lights of the NBA, where everyone will be looking to see if the “unicorn” can live up to his billing. Despite all of the noise around him, he is exceptionally even-keeled, and has been raised to carry the load that comes with the attention of, at 7-foot-1, always standing out in a crowd. The skepticism dogged him as he embarked on his college career, and will follow him into the NBA, where he enters with all of the bells, whistles and expectations of the No. 2 draft pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Sarah Harris, Holmgren’s mother, long has believed one of her son’s most powerful qualities has nothing to do with a basketball skill.

Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, shared a great story about scrimmaging with Steph Curry.

"I got out there and played with him in the scrimmage that we had and he had a little power moment going. But since it was on a stage with the greatest shooter of all time, Holmgren points to that moment and exposure as the world’s wake-up call. He’s kind of like a unicorn in that respect," Curry said.

Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, shared a great story about scrimmaging with Steph Curry.

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Two of the greatest string beans in NBA history are teaming up in Oklahoma City, with Chet Holmgren joining Andrej Pokusevski. What will the Thunder's ...

The Thunder are adding that length to a team that used the no. They also used a second-round pick on 6-foot-10 center Jaylin Williams, who is a different person from Jalen Williams. (That’s right—the Thunder didn’t just pair the only two 7-foot, 190-pound guys—they also got two Jalen/Jaylin Williamses. Every Thunder must be paired with their Other.) Both Thunder bigs are listed at exactly 7 feet, and Poku is listed at 190 pounds while Chet is slightly heavier at 195. Then they used the 12th pick on Jalen Williams, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard with a ridiculous 7-foot-2 wingspan. Both Poku and Chet have unusual games which seem impossible in their already impossible bodies. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor once described Poku as “ the most unique player in the NBA,” while The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann recently described Chet as a “unicorn.” But both of them compared Chet to Poku leading up to this year’s draft, because of their one-of-a-kind (well, two-of-a-kind) body type.