Chet Holmgren is making the Oklahoma City Thunder’s dream this season. Facing off against the mighty Denver Nuggets, the Thunders pulled off a surprising victory. Humbling the Nikola Jokic-led team 102-87, the OKC seems to be right on track for their championship campaign. However, a significant applause must go to the young gun, Chet Holmgren. It was his heroics that bridged the gap wide open in an otherwise closely contested match.
And such a stupendous performance did not miss the eyes of the experts. Garnering praises from all over, one particular line from Kendrick Perkins seems to be summing up Holmgren’s NBA journey so far perfectly. Speaking on the Thunders vs Nuggets match, Perkins told via ESPN NBA, “He (Holmgren) looked like the white version of Kevin Garnett last night.”
Well, let’s have a quick recap of how the sophomore kicked off his campaign. Holmgren was on the court for 36 minutes. Within that time frame, he sent shivers down the Nuggets’ defense each time he had the ball. Holmgren dropped a whopping 25 points, 14 boards, 2 steals, and 5 assists. And that was not all. Showing his defensive prowess in full glory, Holmgren also notched up 4 blocks as he shot from the floor 61.1 percent in his entire stay on the court.
And this was not an out-of-the-blue performance for Holmgren. Finishing second in the Rookie of the Year running, Holmgren was always a breakout candidate this year. Fittingly, his fellow mate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, heavily praised his efforts.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Heaps Praises On Chet Holmgren
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can’t help but drool over his younger teammate’s heroics. However, while most of the experts were shocked, the Thunder’s superstar icon remained unfazed. Having watched Holmgren in the preseason, SGA had a fair idea of what exactly he was capable of.
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Heaping praise on the 22-year-old, Gilgeous-Alexander stated, “Obviously, it’s the first game of the season. Everybody comes to play, but he raised his level of intensity. Obviously, he was a big part of why we won tonight. Nothing surprised us. That’s who Chet is. That’s who he’s been ever since he stepped on the floor for us and he was Chet Holmgren tonight.”
Thus, proving himself to be capable of squaring off against big names like Nikola Jokic, things are looking pretty for Chet Holmgren. Now, it’s up to him to keep the momentum going and make this season a big one for him.
