5 reasons why Chet Holmgren is the next Kevin Durant

Chet Holmgren continues to impress in his first games of his rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The young big man has surpassed Victor Wembanyama in the Rookie of the Year race and is part of the Thunder's young core and its impressive run early in the season with 11 wins and five losses.

Holmgren went for 33 points and six rebounds on 13/21 shooting and 5/11 from beyond the arc in the Thunder's 127-123 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, which put an end to their six-game winning streak.

The young big man is compared to two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP Kevin Durant and in this article, we take a look at five reasons why he can be the next version of the All-Star forward.

5 reasons why Chet Holmgren is the next Kevin Durant

#5 - Smooth shooting

Chet Holmgren's shooting can remind us a lot of Kevin Durant, especially with how smooth it is. Against the Sixers on Saturday, he hit a three-pointer in transition, which reminded fans of Durant's three-pointer in the NBA Finals vs the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James a few years ago.

#4 - Running the floor

Thanks to his ball-handling skills, he has the ability to run the floor and score in transition, while his height helps him shoot over his opponents. Just like Durant. We have often seen him going to Durant's spots as well, like he did vs the Sixers.

#3 - All-around player

Like the superstar of the Phoenix Suns, Chet Holmgren can do everything on the floor. He can score from beyond the arc, run in transition, make shots from the field, play defense and more.

Despite his height (7' 1"), he can do everything and we should expect him to get even better should he stay healthy.

#2 - Play defense 1 to 5

Thanks to his height and his quick legs, he can adapt to different defensive plays (switch defense, one-on-one defense) and can guard all positions on the floor. Still, there is plenty of room for improvement on that end for the young big man.

#1 - Play positionless basketball

Chet Holmgren can do everything on the floor with his height, shooting and ball-handling skills, being able to play all five positions, like Durant.

Holmgren is currently playing as a centre for the Thunder, but he has the ability to play 1 to 5, as he can score from almost every spot on the offensive end.

Chet Holmgren has appeared in all 16 games for Oklahoma City so far, averaging 18.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 2.5 apg, on 56.4 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.