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The OKC Thunder lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 127-123 on Saturday, but Chet Holmgren had a stellar outing. He scored 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field and 5-of-11 from deep, grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots.
Holmgren has impressed this season, and his battle with San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama for the Rookie of the Year is shaping up to be a good one.
The 7-foot-1 center recorded his best performance of the season in a 130-123 win against the Golden State Warriors. He amassed 36 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks while shooting an impressive 14-for-22, including 2-of-5 from beyond the 3-point line. He hit a buzzer-beater that extended the game to overtime.
Holmgren's performance against Philadelphia, as per @NBAHistory on X (formerly Twitter), meant he established a record that even Thunder legends Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant couldn't achieve.
“Chet Holmgren is the first rookie in OKC franchise history to record multiple 30+ point games in the first month of their career,” the NBA History account wrote.
Chet Holmgren has scored 18.1 points per game this season. Durant averaged 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 80 games in his rookie season in 2007-08 and won the Rookie of the Year award. Westbrook averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.9 rebounds in 82 games in his rookie season in 2008-09.
Holmgren credits teammates for hot start to season
After the OKC-Philadelphia game on Saturday, Chet Holmgren credited the Oklahoma City Thunder for putting him in situations where he can thrive.
“It starts with those guys. They put me in position to be successful, as well as coach,” he said (via Clutch Points).
However, the rookie acknowledged he still has a long way to go, saying:
“A lot of things I can clean up.”
OKC coach Mark Daigneault discussed the option of pairing Holmgren with another center as a tactic. Holmgren was paired with Jaylin Williams when the Thunder faced Joel Embiid and the Sixers.
"Those guys played pretty well together. Seeing Chet play a non-center spot in the offense was interesting. I don't think it neutralized him any, so that was encouraging. That's something we can go to," Daigneault said.
NBA’s latest Rookie of the Year ladder has Holmgren as No. 1 over Wembanyama. In his last four games, Holmgren has averaged 25.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks while shooting 63% from the field, 43% from three and 82% from the line.
