When the Oklahoma City Thunder lost the second overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, Chet Holmgren, to a season-ending Lisfranc injury prior to what would have been his rookie campaign, many became worried about what this might mean for Holmgren's future. After all, leg and foot injuries are very much anxiety-inducing for big men, especially one of Holmgren's 7'1, 195-pound frame. But Holmgren has defied expectations in his inaugural professional season, playing in all of the Thunder's 64 games to this point.
In today's NBA, playing in 95 percent of the games, let alone in 100, is already a major win. For someone who missed an entire season due to a foot injury, playing in all games would have fans think that he has some voodoo magic working in his favor. But for the Thunder youngster, being able to go out there every night and give it his all is a point of pride that he intends to maintain — for as long as he's healthy enough to impact the game positively when he's out there.
“I’ve missed so many games last year, and I had to sit at the end of the bench or behind the bench so many times last year that I’ve vowed to myself if I can physically go out there and play, and I feel like I can help our team in any way to help us win I’m going to go do that,” Holmgren said on The Woj Pod.
Why Chet Holmgren believes he’s an underdog
Being able to stay healthy has allowed Chet Holmgren to defy expectations for the current one-seed in the Western Conference, the Thunder. But despite shattering all expectations, he believes he's still out for blood after all the criticisms levied his way before he stepped foot on an NBA court.
“It’s easy to feel like an underdog when you’re labeled a bust before you ever play a game. You know, he’ll never be able to do this, he’ll never be able to do that,” Holmgren said.
Nonetheless, Chet Holmgren would love to focus more on the people who helped set him on the path of stardom as he and the Thunder try to achieve great things in the next decade or so.
“I’ve also been blessed in so many different aspects of life where I may not necessarily be an underdog, but I owe it to all the people who helped me get here and put in work along side me to go out there and be successful and help do what they know I’m able to achieve,” Holmgren added.
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