Whether you see him as a red-shirt rookie or an actual rookie, Chet Holmgren’s rookie season is special. The Gonzaga alumni didn’t play in the 2022-2023 season due to a foot injury, so his official debut season was this season. His play alongside Shai-Gilgeous Alexander turned the Thunder from a 10th seed the year before to the 1st seed in a loaded NBA Western Conference.
Chet Holmgren’s Great Rookie Season
The Thunder’s star center showed up and showed out in his rookie season. He averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists this season. Chet Holmgren also tallied 2.3 blocks and played all 82 games.
Todd Whitehead of SportsRadar’s Synergy Basketball showed people on X that Holmgren delivered the most impactful rookie season of the last five years.
Whitehead’s statement and stats were backed up by the Synergy Player Impact (SPI) and the corresponding net points added metrics. The SPI metric covers additional things that the typical plus/minus stats leave out or don’t cover. It helps people truly see how the players impact their team during possessions outside of the general metrics. They also made that metric to help coaches with scouting and recruiting.
Does Holmgren Deserve The Rookie Of The Year Award?
The only rookie season that may be comparable to that of Chet Holmgren is Victor Wembanyama’s. Chet could win it because of the Thunder’s success. Victor has created so many unique highlight plays this season, but the Spurs didn’t have nearly as many wins as their rivals in Oklahoma City.
Victor averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks in his rookie year. The main question in this rookie of the year debate is whether their respective team’s successes affect who wins the award. Chet Holmgren had more weapons around him compared to Victor. Yet, Victor played limited minutes this season with the Spurs and put up better numbers in his rookie season than Chet.
Chet definitely deserves the award, but it can go either way. It will be interesting to see how Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder fare in the playoffs as the youngest team in the NBA. They’re also the youngest playoff team and 1-seed in NBA playoff history, with an average age of 23.4. Maybe that is another stat that could help Chet’s argument for his Rookie of the Year award.
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