On Tuesday night, Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren made his first NBA Summer League appearance. He did not just turn heads in his debut, but the Thunder star absolutely dominated in a way never seen before. Holmgren finished the game with six blocks and hit four shots from beyond the arc. No one in Summer League history had ever had four blocks and hit four triples, never mind six of them.
Chet Holmgren showed out in his Summer League debut, dropping 23 PTS on 78% from the field.
He is the first player with 5 blocks and 4 3-pointers in any Summer League game all-time. pic.twitter.com/g1ROYhr5pM
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 6, 2022
He also finished with 23 points, shooting 78 percent from the field. The Thunder's top draft pick needed just nine shot attempts to score his 23 points. That is just bonkers efficiency.
It's obviously worth noting that this is just an NBA Summer League game. So, you can't just write him into the Hall of Fame. But if there were questions about whether he could bang with bigger, thicker bodies, it certainly appeared so on Tuesday night.
The Orlando Magic drafted Paolo Banchero with the first pick in the NBA Draft. That surprised many and left the reported first overall pick, Jabari Smith Jr., still on the board. However, the Thunder did not waver. They stuck with their gut and took the guy they reportedly wanted all along in Holmgren.
The Gonzaga product was lauded for his ability to shoot, pass, dribble extremely well, all at 7'1”. But there were serious questions regarding his ability to bang with NBA bigs, as he weighs just 195 pounds. If Tuesday is any indication, that is not going to be a problem. Not only did he block six shots, he changed countless others.
After his performance tonight, the Thunder big man's odds for Rookie of the Year skyrocketed.
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