After a couple of bumps in the road following their 3-1 start to the 2023-24 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are back on track with consecutive wins at home this week. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing out of his mind for Oklahoma City to begin the season and could very well bag another All-NBA nod this season should his ascension as one of the game's brightest stars continue. A pleasant surprise, however, is how well and comfortable Chet Holmgren has looked in his rookie season for the Thunder.

OKC entered the year as preseason darlings due to the intriguing group of young guys they have on their roster. Many believe that Oklahoma City is a dark horse team that could make some noise in the Western Conference. While the Thunder have lived up to that billing, it is still quite surprising to see their rise actually come to fruition this early.

We could go a number of ways in naming some pleasant surprises for the Thunder this season. Jalen Williams' emergence as a legitimate scoring threat is one of them. We could also go with Cason Wallace, who has carved out a nice role as a 3-and-D spark off the bench for Oklahoma City. But Holmgren takes the cake for this one.

Thunder's most pleasant surprise this season: Chet Holmgren

While some may have predicted Chet Holmgren to be a Rookie of the Year favorite alongside San Antonio Spurs prized rookie Victor Wembanyama, nobody really saw that the former Gonzaga to be this good right away for the Oklahoma City Thunder. In fact, the Thunder rookie is already heaping praises from his veteran peers in the NBA.

In eight games this season, Holmgren is averaging 16.8 points, which is tied for second in the team with Jalen Williams in scoring. He is also tallying 7.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 57.5 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from three, and 90.0 percent from the freethrow line.

First of all, those shooting splits are mind-boggling for anyone in the NBA. Holmgren's true shooting percentage on the season is at 71.9 percent, which is third among players averaging at least 25 minutes a night.

Not looking like a rookie at all

Among all the eye-catching facets about Holmgren's game, it's the efficient three-point shooting that stands out most. That 55.6 percent will likely come back down to earth at some point. But if he is actually a legitimate 40-plus percent three-point shooter at his size, he is going to be a problem for many years to come.

A lot of people already knew that Holmgren would be an elite rim protector as soon as he stepped on an NBA floor. He is officially third in the NBA in blocked shots per game.

The 21-year-old has just looked really comfortable out there on both sides of the floor and is not showing any rookie jitters at all. He always looks under control and already knows what to do when he is on the floor. Just keep an eye on him in this terrific defensive sequence, via AlexHoops on X.

Holmgren's awareness and knowledge of where to rotate is one thing. His ability to cover several parts of the floor also makes the Thunder rookie special.

These stats laid out by NBA writer Brett Usher are nitpicking it a little bit, but it is telling just how, like Wembanyama, Holmgren is a unicorn in his own unique way.

There's no doubt the sky is the limit for Chet Holmgren. If he is able to maintain this level of play for the entire year, he could very well spoil Victor Wembanyama's rookie season.