Gonzaga Center Chet Holmgren has shown NBA Scouts and college basketball fans why he's the best player in the country.
He has unique size and runs the floor extremely well for someone as big as he is. Chet Holmgren might be the best college prospect that we have seen since Zion Williamson. There are some questions about his outside shot but it has improved the last few years of his young career. If he can get that to a 30 to 33% mark in the NBA, he has the chance to be the best big man in the NBA for many years to come.
Let's take a look at a few reasons why Chet Holmgren is the top NBA prospect since Zion Williamson.
3 Reason Chet Holmgren Is Biggest NBA Prospect Since Zion Williamson
3. He's an elite rim protector
Chet Holmgren stands at over 7ft tall. When you have this type of size in college you're always going to get plenty of blocks. What Chet Holmgren has been able to show outside of just being a normal tall College center, is his elite interior defense. Not only does he have the ability to block any shot on the court, but he holds the offensive players in their spots to make it tough for them to work around the rim.
This is something that every NBA Scout will be evaluating Holmgren for the next few months. If he can hold elite big men and contain NBA centers from scoring, he's undoubtedly going to be the number one pick and be a star in the NBA.
Not only does he guard the rim at a high level, but he also has the quickness to contain guards on switches. This is something that many NBA teams like to do as most teams have the center pick up over screens due to all the three-point shooting that we see in the NBA in today's game.
His defensive ability has stuck out as the most intriguing part of his game. Many people questioned if he was going to be able to lock down elite College centers due to his weight, but he has already shut down all of those questions with his interior defense play early on in the season.
What's even more impressive is that he's also adding 13 points per game while playing better defense than many expected.
2. Runs the floor with the best of them
While watching Chet Holmgren it's easy to see some Giannis Antetokounmpo in him. He doesn't have the same athletic abilities of getting to the rim that Giannis does but when he's on a fast break it takes him about what seems like three steps to run the length of the court.
Gonzaga-Eastern Oregon Top 3 Plays
15 seconds into the game, Chet Holmgren shows off why he's so talented: blocked shot in transition — defensive rebound — coast-to-coast layup (with a nice duck-in from Timme). pic.twitter.com/79gXupy8YZ
— Steven Karr (@SKarrG0) November 1, 2021
Fast break points in the NBA are only getting higher and higher and this is intriguing for NBA scouts. If Chet Holmgren can continue running the floor, it's going to be easier for NBA Scouts to take him number one overall. With his size, speed, and finishing abilities, it's going to be tough for any defenders to stop him while he's in transition. It's impressive that a 7-foot college center can move the way that he can.
It's definitely something to keep an eye on for NBA scouts.
1. He fits the typical NBA center role
The elite centers in the NBA mostly have one thing in common and that's elite rim protection. The only current NBA center who's one of the best at their position and doesn't defend the rim well is Nikola Jokic.
Most of the other centers in the NBA including Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, and Bam Adebayo, all defend the rim at a high level. This is going to be the most intriguing part of Chet Holmgren's game that NBA scouts are going to be excited about. He offers teams a lot of flexibility in their defensive schemes.
With his height, he will also be able to grab a good amount of rebounds and should be able to at least average over eight or more early on in his career.
Chet Holmgren has been sensational early on of the college basketball season for the number one ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs. He has shown that he fits the typical center role in the NBA and that's going to make scouts want to take him number one in next year's draft. Comparing him to Zion Williamson is difficult because they both play different positions, but this could be the most intriguing college prospect that we have seen since Zion. There is even a chance that the New Orlean Pelicans are able to draft Chet Holmgren. It would be interesting to watch the two young and future superstars play together.
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