Why The NBA Should Fear Chet Holmgren
Image via Star Tribune
With one of the most dominant skills sets at his size, Chet Holmgren is a serious talent that the NBA needs to watch out for. Some NBA scouts have had their doubts about Holmgren explaining that at his size he is not strong enough to be a dominant force as an NBA big man. With that being said there are some players that have a slim frame at such a Kevin Durant and Kristaps Porzingius. These are two players that have been dominant at their positions and have came up hearing the same doubts that Holmgren is hearing right now.
In raw scoring alone, Chet is a player that could adapt on a team easily giving you more than 20 points per game, while also recording roughly nine rebounds. It is likely that Chet will not fall out of the top three in this year’s draft class. Having the first overall pick, the Orlando Magic should seek the help of Chet to relight the spark in their franchise.
Immediate Impact
Despite Gonzaga falling short in this year’s March Madness Tournament, Holmgren proved what he is capable of and why he should be in the conversation of top players drafted this year. Averaging 14.1 points per game, while also tallying 9.9 rebounds are great stats for a player in their first season. Standing at 7-feet-tall, Chet has the ability to dominate the game like a center, but also have a handle on the basketball similar to a point gaurd.
The Right Fit?
Sometimes things happen in mysterious ways. Although Holmgren has the talent to go number one overall, in recent mock drafts, they have the Orlando Magic selecting Jabari Smith with the first overall pick. Judging by Orlando’s willingness to draft powerhouse style big men doing so with Shaquille O’Neal many years ago. The Magic may decide to select the big man out of Auburn. This now leaves the way for Chet to find himself in Oklahoma City next to star talent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This creates a strong force to Oklahoma City to build around while also still having plenty of draft picks to either use or trade to acquire an all-star level talent from another franchise.
Sources: Sports Reference, NBA.com, Basketball Reference.