Sports

Chet Holmgren’s Season Debut Made Clear Why He’s So Special

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Near the end of the first half, Chet Holmgren matched up with Michael Porter Jr. on the perimeter after a Jalen Williams cut forced Aaron Gordon to switch off of Holmgren. The lanky 22-year-old drove to his right before Porter mirrored his move. Without fretting, Holmgren maintained his handle, drove to the basket and drew the and-one.

It’s a succinct summation of Holmgren’s dominant performance against the Denver Nuggets, emblematic of the superstar he’s developing into. Holmgren finished the night with 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals on a calm 61.2 percent true shooting. He was an offensive focal point, all while playing like the best defender in the world.

What Made Holmgren So Dominant?

Nikola Jokic rarely looks uncomfortable on the court, even during his off nights. With Holmgren at center, the Oklahoma City Thunder flummoxed Jokic in a way few teams can with Holmgren. His physicality set the tone for Oklahoma City’s defensive approach. Defending Jokic in the post, Holmgren worked to maintain position and challenged entry passes with his excellent length.

Despite giving up 80 pounds to Jokic, Holmgren holds ground well above his weight class. His core and lower body strength look improved, and he’s always been excellent at absorbing blows and maintaining his balance. His overwhelming length swallowed a few of these Jokic post-ups.

Oklahoma City sent multiple bodies at Jokic all night, capitalizing on Denver’s spacing limitations. When Jokic shared the floor with Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson, the Thunder especially pressured the post aggressively. Still, this game plan wouldn’t function without Holmgren as its anchor.

And somehow, his offensive performance arguably outshined his defensive showing. As we highlighted earlier, his aggression reached new heights. Young players often struggle to impose their physical advantages. Holmgren faced those challenges last year and played with even more belligerence in this season’s opener.

After a few early turnovers working through Jokic’s frame, Holmgren found his offensive rhythm playing from the perimeter. Oklahoma City comfortably allows Holmgren to bring the ball up the floor, trusting him to make smart decisions with the ball. He’s a freakish attacker off of the catch as a result of his shotmaking, handling and passing prowess. Attacking in early offense helped Holmgren burn a scrambling Nuggets defense on multiple occasions.

Denver often parked Jokic at the rim, hoping to deny shots directly inside. The Thunder and Holmgren took advantage, as Holmgren feathered in open midrange jumpers over the backpedaling Jokic. Oklahoma City took 18 shots in the non-restricted area paint and hit 50 percent of them. Holmgren’s success there was a major part.

He weaponized his release valve scoring with his playmaking, throwing interior passes to cutters when the Nuggets stepped up. He answered every coverage Denver tossed at him on Thursday night. His composure with the ball is unlike most second-year players, especially young centers.

Chet Holmgren matched up and thrived against the best center in the NBA in just the first game of his second NBA season. He is ascending rapidly toward superstardom. If this is what Holmgren looks like at this stage of his career, picturing his eventual apex is frightening. On Thursday night, he played like an All-NBA-caliber star in the current moment. Good luck, NBA.