The Oklahoma City Thunder are building a unique basketball team. Lanky, skilled forwards litter their roster, which surprisingly made a playoff push last season. Chet Holmgren, one of the OKC centerpieces, showcased what their futuristic basketball vision looks like.

In his return to the court, a 95-85 Summer League win over the Utah Jazz, the seven-foot-tall Holmgren did some things that guards usually do. He handled the ball with fluidity but also did a great job protecting the rim, tallying four blocks. Being able to do so many things on the court at his height is what he is making his M.O. out to be, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

“That's just new-school basketball,” Holmgren said, via ESPN. “I look forward to making it happen more.”

While the Thunder are led by star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and used their first-round pick on another guard, Cason Wallace, OKC fills its roster with long athletes that can play numerous roles. Holmgren, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams are the main ones but they also have guys like Aleksej Pokusevski, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Aaron Wiggins and Ousmane Dieng.

After missing all of last season, Holmgren wants to help the Thunder get back into the playoffs. His first 2023 Summer League game wasn’t the perfect performance but he impacted the game in numerous ways. Above all, he just wanted to come out confident.

“The last thing I wanted to do was come out here and be timid, so I wanted to come out of the gates and be aggressive and look to impact the game,” Holmgren said, via ESPN. “Obviously with that, you can make mistakes or miss shots, and that's part of the game. Whether you've just played a hundred straight games without missing one or missed the whole season, mistakes come with the game, and I just got to learn from them.”

Holmgren has plenty to prove at the NBA level but it's hard not to be intrigued with what he can do. The Thunder big man could be a contender for Rookie of the Year, even in a stacked rookie class headlined by Victor Wembanyama.