How Jayson Tatum knew Thunder’s Chet Holmgren would dominate before NBA start

In just his first playing season in the NBA, Chet Holmgren has already become a key asset for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Much was expected of him by OKC and its fans after the franchise selected him second overall in the 2022 NBA Draft — just behind Paolo Banchero who went to the Orlando Magic. But his first start in the league took a long time to happen after he suffered a serious foot injury just before the 2022-23 NBA season.

Still, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum knew at that time that Holmgren was going to be special in the pros.

“I remember telling Drew I liked him because he wasn’t scared,” Tatum said recalling that time when saw a pre-NBA Holmgren alongside him and other NBA stars during training under Drew Hanlan (h/t Ramona Shelburne of ESPN).

“Yeah, he was skinny. But he was going right back at dudes. I respected that,” Tatum added.

The wait for his NBA debut must be all worth it for the Thunder, though, as the former Gonzaga Bulldogs star has proven himself as an elite weapon for the team on both ends of the floor. Holmgren doesn’t have the chiseled physique that other big men in the NBA have, but he can still hold his own on the court.

In his rookie season in the league, Chet Holmgren averaged 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 53.0 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from behind the arc. His ability to put the ball on the floor and stretch defenses with his range not to mention his size and length give opponents headaches regularly. He also swatted away 2.3 blocks a game, which helps explain why the Thunder finished the regular season fourth overall in the NBA with a 111.5 adjusted defensive efficiency. If not for the existence of one Victor Wembanyama, last year’s top pick overall by the San Antonio Spurs, Holmgren likely would have been this season’s Rookie of the Year winner.

With or without the Rookie of the Year honor, the future is definitely bright for Holmgren and the Thunder, who signed him to a four-year deal worth $44.89 million in 2022.

What Tatum said about Holmgren still holds up. Holmgren’s relatively light frame belies his toughness inside. Together with his fellow young stars on the Thunder roster in the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, Holmgren is managing to impress Oklahoma City and its fans, who had not been to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons before Holmgren entered the fray and started suiting up.

Chet Holmgren, Thunder in the middle of a heated playoff battle against the Dallas Mavericks