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Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets blew out Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder 128-95 in OKC’s home opener on Sunday. Afterward, Jokic gave some humorous advice to the rookie big man regarding how he can make it big in the NBA.
The superstar center first spoke about how gifted Holmgren is. He then joked that the slender 2022 No. 2 pick just needs to gain some weight:
“He’s really talented … I think he needs to be a little bit fatter, to be honest. But he has a talent that is unique,” Jokic said.
Jokic, who has been overweight at various points in his nine-year career, is listed at 6-foot-11, 284 pounds. Meanwhile, Holmgren, 7-foot-1, reportedly beefed up to 207 pounds over the last year, after weighing in at just 195 pounds following the 2022 NBA draft.
Jokic dominated Holmgren in their first-ever matchup, finishing with 28 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and one 3-pointer on 75.0% shooting.
Holmgren, on the other hand, recorded 19 points, four rebounds and one 3-pointer on 58.3% shooting.
So, as Jokic suggested, Holmgren may need to gain a few extra pounds to be able to hold his own against the reigning Finals MVP.
Through three games, Jokic is averaging 26.3 points, 13.0 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.7 3-pointers per game on 61.5% shooting.
The Nuggets (3-0) next face the Utah Jazz (1-2) at home on Monday.
Chet Holmgren says he will learn from his first matchup with Nikola Jokic
Following Sunday’s game, Chet Holmgren was asked about what it was like facing off against Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
Holmgren spoke about how the game presented him and his team with a valuable learning opportunity:
“You wanna see stuff like that early, you know, great player, great team,” Holmgren said.
“You wanna be able to learn from it, go back and watch the film and take things away for not only our next matchup with them but other teams. We’ll see similar things.”
Holmgren added that Jokic is a very special player, so OKC probably won’t face many players like the superstar point center this season. However, the Thunder can still learn from the experience and apply it to their next matchup as much as possible:
“Obviously, Jokic is a unique player and we won’t see too many guys similar to him, but we’ll see patterns throughout the season,” Holmgren said.
“So, it's just about being able to learn from it early and take away what we can.”
(8:59 mark below)
Through his first three games, Holmgren is averaging 15.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.7 spg, 2.3 bpg and 2.0 3pg on 57.1% shooting.
The Thunder (2-1) next play at home against the Detroit Pistons (2-1) on Monday.
