Oklahoma City Thunder rookie center Chet Holmgren will have to sit out his entire inaugural NBA season due to a foot injury. The former Gonzaga star, who was the number two overall pick in the 2022 Draft sustained the injury while defending LeBron James in the lane during a pro-am game in Seattle last weekend. This comes after a very impressive performance by Holmgren in the NBA Summer League.
Chet holmgren is really out the whole year after guarding lebron once for 10 seconds in a pro am game pic.twitter.com/O5jjrKsN0F
— John (@iam_johnw) August 25, 2022
Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury in his right foot. This affects the area between the mid and forefoot. Recovery time for an injury like this is usually between four to six months. This is a fairly common sports injury that doctors have been successful at treating. Holmgren is expected to make a full recovery.
Chet Holmgren and His Recovery
A message to Thunder fans from GM Sam Presti
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) August 25, 2022
? Full Opening Statement | https://t.co/HTQEzvT0Gb pic.twitter.com/NLQMZmP7OK
Chet Holmgren’s injury casts a huge shadow over the Thunder’s upcoming season. The momentum of Oklahoma City’s rise will take a momentary pause. However, with 38 first and second-round picks in hand over the next seven seasons, and Holmgren’s full recovery, the future looks very bright for the Thunder.
” Thunder EVP and GM Sam Presti said in a statement Thursday. “We know Chet has a long career ahead of him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community. We expect his tenacity will carry him through this period of time as we work together and support him during his rehabilitation.”
Past History Star Rookie Injuries
Greg Oden. Bill Walton. Sam Bowie. Joel Embiid. Blake Griffin. There are others. Chet Holmgren isn’t the first frontcourt high NBA Draft pick to suffer a major injury early in his career and he won’t be the last. My column on what history can teach us:https://t.co/1eRcL14PQs
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) August 26, 2022
Chet Holmgren’s injury brings back memories of past fallen first-round picks. In 2007, first-round overall pick, Greg Oden out of Ohio State sustained a knee injury that forced him out of his entire rookie season. In 1984, Kentucky’s Sam Bowie was the second overall pick in the draft by the Portland Trailblazers. He was plagued by numerous foot injuries over the course of his first two seasons in the league which forced him to miss numerous games.
Here’s hoping that better days are ahead for Chet Holmgren. Certainly, the doctors and Thunder team officials are expressing an optimistic tone. Holmgren has shown a great amount of will and determination in his short career. Here’s betting that those qualities will carry him through this difficult period. And that a long and successful NBA career is just over the horizon.
Read the Vikings Beat weekly at Belly Up Sports. Follow me on Twitter for more of my articles. In addition, check out other NBA articles by the Belly Up Sports NBA Team.
