The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to climb the NBA's totem pole, with Chet Holmgren's emergence as one of the best young two-way stars in the NBA standing out as one of the biggest factors fueling their ascent. Holmgren had another strong night in the Thunder's 126-117 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, which isn't easy to do given how punishing the Hawks' center duo of Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu can be on both ends of the court.
Holmgren, in 34 minutes of action, tallied 16 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks, acting as the Thunder's chief patroller of the paint. The 21-year old center may have had a rough shooting night, having gone just 4-14 from the field, but he made up for it by going 7-7 from the line and by being a defensive menace.
And in achieving that stat line, Chet Holmgren was able to tally a feat that no other Thunder player has ever done in its history. According to StatMuse, Holmgren is the first rookie in Thunder history to tally multiple games with at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks — an elite feat especially when the 21-year old rookie has played in just seven career games.
Given how many talented rookies have played for the Thunder pipeline over the years, achieving this feat should not be taken lightly. Just to name a few, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were not able to reach the benchmarks Holmgren just did. Moreover, a more likely candidate for the achievement, Serge Ibaka, was also unable to do so. In fact, Ibaka failed to register at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in the same game during his debut campaign.
For much of the 2022-23 season, it looked as though the Thunder were only missing a commanding presence at center as a prerequisite for making the leap to genuine playoff contention. This is why Chet Holmgren's season-ending injury prior to last season was such a crushing blow for the franchise. But now that he's up and running on the court, the Thunder have looked like a team that the league will have difficulties stopping for the next decade.