Oklahoma City Thunder first-round pick Thomas Sorber's rookie season came to an end before it even began, which is the kind of start to an NBA career that Chet Holmgren, who suffered an offseason foot injury before his rookie season, can relate to. Chet reached out, as Thunder GM Sam Presti predicted Holmgren would speak to Sorber in training camp, offering advice for the long road to recovery from a torn ACL.
Holmgren knows the newfound downtime, coupled with the monotony of rehab throughout an 82-game regular season, isn't an easy path for an eager rookie. Holmgren was in Sorber's shoes only three years ago.
“I just told him one, it's going to get really mundane — it's a process, coming in, doing the same thing every day,” Holmgren said. “Every day you slowly do more and more, but from day to day, it's not big changes. When you look back two months, it's like I've come a long way, but if you look forward to the next day; I'm doing the same thing tomorrow. So, it can get frustrating. I told him just stay in it. Really rely on the people here.
“They're gonna keep him in a safe window, and he needs to push it to the top of that window; push it as far as he can, while still listening to them. They're gonna make sure he's in a safe spot.”
For Holmgren, focusing on the mundane daily tasks at hand, rather than looking ahead, was crucial throughout his rehabilitation.
“You really have to be OK taking your time through it,” Holmgren added. “I haven't spent a lot of time around him. But I was the type of person [who] just wanted to finish the whole rehab in one day. So, I just told him you have to really stay in it, no matter how frustrating it gets.”
Holmgren and the Thunder finished Day 1 of training camp on Tuesday.
Sam Presti's initial impressions of Thunder's Thomas Sorber
Despite the bad news surrounding 15th overall pick Thomas Sorber's season-ending injury, Thunder GM Sam Presti believes the upcoming season can be beneficial for Sorber. Alongside Chet Holmgren and Nikola Topic, who also suffered a season-ending ACL injury before his rookie season last year, Presti believes his first-round pick is in great hands.
“He’s got a great energy to him just as a person, and that’s going to really help him through this. He also has the benefit of a couple of players who have been in this situation before — Chet [Holmgren] and Nikola [Topic],” Presti said. “So, he’s going to get something out of this year, 100 percent. And I think it will position him well going into next season.”
The Thunder will resume training camp on Wednesday.
