The Thunder announced that No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren will miss the 2022-23 NBA season after Lisfranc injured his right foot. The injury occurred at a Pro-Am game in Seattle. Crossover staffers provide initial reaction to the news, pro-am players and a longer-term outlook for the Thunder.
What was your initial reaction to Holmgren’s injury?
Chris Haring: Is there an appropriate response other than to say it sucks and is incredibly unfortunate? This is the perfect reason why teams drag youngsters out to summer league for a game or two. This is to limit the risk in non-important matches. So it’s cruel to learn that Chet will miss the entire season in the Pro-Am pick-up game.
Robin Lundberg: My reaction is that it’s a shame. I think we were all excited to see what Chet could accomplish in his NBA. Especially after a glorious Summer his league debut. There has already been a lot of discussion about him due to his unique profile, but unfortunately everyone will have to wait to see him in the actual game.
Rohan Nadkarni: Unfortunately, it’s not the end of the world for Chet. Now, we’ve seen multiple players (Joel Embiid, Blake Griffin, Ben Simmons, Zion Williamson) come back from illness in their rookies and eventually reach All-Star form. Obviously, there are always concerns about large men and foot injuries. However, Holmgren was not expected to come in his rookie season and become an OKC savior. The silver lining is that once Holmgren recovers from injury, he’ll have time to get his body in better shape for the rigors of NBA basketball next season. It probably doesn’t hurt to take a few more months to launch.
Bishop: Is Chet Holmgren the future of basketball?
Michael Shapiro: Holmgren’s injury is, well, disappointing. Perhaps Oklahoma City was poised for another tankathon in his 2022–23, but a possible Holmgren-Josh Guiddy connection made the Thunder a sneaky league pass option going into the season. Holmgren provided many highlight his reel moments in his league over the summer. He faced a difficult situation adapting to the professional game, but just seeing a player of size and skill was expected to be a small treat next year. Holmgren will have to wait at least 12 months before he hits the professional stage, making this an effective year of purgatory in Oklahoma City.
Jeremy Wu: Clearly a big problem. Holmgren looked ready to compete in his league this summer. He’s been healthy throughout his career at this point, but I hope this isn’t the beginning of a pattern or a chain of future problems and things don’t get worse. No, but I think you do have to watch out for foot injuries from time to time for a player of this size who plays on the perimeter. In fact, nothing can be drawn from this.
The Thunder rookie will miss the NBA season with a foot injury.
Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports
Should the NBA ban players from playing pro-ams?
herring: No. At the same time, I fully understand the idea of teams stepping in and strongly discouraging players from participating. Games are a lot of fun to watch and give the NBA a shot of adrenaline when you otherwise wouldn’t be paying attention. If it wasn’t for Chet’s leg, something else could have happened in Seattle later in the day. Especially if you’ve been playing on courts with a lot of condensation.
Lundberg: Banning a player from a pro-am seems extreme. Top talent loves to play, and pick-up games can be just as intense. Chet’s injuries could have happened at any time on any floor, so it’s no use to me to try to blame anything. It seems.
Nadkarni: Absolutely not. Players cannot be sealed off during the offseason. And if you can’t play basketball, how can you get better? Whenever a player trains, exercises, or plays basketball, there is a risk of injury. At the same time, they are expected to be in world-class condition heading into the first leg of the season. It’s such a shame that Chet will miss the entire season. Ultimately, nothing can stop a basketball player from playing basketball.
Shapiro: While there’s some credence in teams limiting their exposure to injury during the offseason, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which a player would be barred from one of the sport’s traditional traditions. Summer running has become the right-of-way for young athletes. Holmgren’s injury is unfortunate, but wouldn’t the same thing have happened at a private gym? It wouldn’t be fair to attribute this incident to the pro-am circuit.
Woo: I personally don’t think so. Because it’s pretty hard to tell a basketball player to quit basketball in the offseason. Injuries like this can easily happen behind closed doors, just as they can on camera. I think it’s the team’s responsibility to dictate their preferences when it comes to off-season activity, but injuries like this can come in many different ways and, frankly, for pro-ams. The matches aren’t always super intense and vary a lot.
Will this affect Thunder’s long-term prospects?
herring: It may be true. One look at Holmgren and it’s only natural to worry about how a body like his can hold up for so long. , length at the basket, ability off the bounce – but because he’s tall and skinny, he’s always had more endurance issues than other prospects. , should feel more bad about the team’s long-term prospects. .
Still: The news is downright brutal for Holmgren and the Thunder, who probably would have gone for that top pick if it weren’t for injuries like these.
Lundberg: It all comes down to how Chet bounces back. So it’s not exactly reassuring that he got hurt so quickly. If so, it doesn’t really change course for Thunder playing long games.
Nadkarni: Thunder should be fine. I won’t say they’re happy, but Chet’s injury allows them to tank for another year and participate in Victor’s Wenbanyama sweepstakes. It’s not like Process Sixers (very similar, in fact), and ultimately OKC’s long-term goals (like drafting and developing young star talent) are still under consideration. I have sympathy for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who deserves to show off his talents on a team that is actually trying to win, but if he can add another high-end lottery talent next summer, Thunder is still pretty We are on a good long-term path.
Shapiro: Holmgren’s injury is the latest example of vulnerability as the team enters a lengthy restructuring. Returning from lottery rock bottom to the postseason will require both lottery luck and a smooth development timeline for young players, neither of which is a guarantee. Bullish. Oklahoma City could very well be in an enviable spot within a year with its current young core paired with valuable prospects Wenban Yama or Scoot Henderson. Even so, playing the long game here is still a smart move.
Woo: not really. You should expect Chet to use the time off not just for rehab, but to strengthen other parts of his body and, ultimately, his skill set. Losing a year of growth to an injury is never great. It’s even more disappointing for Oklahoma City to have to wait to see how he fits in with the other players building. around it. But another consequence of this is that Holmgren’s absence will likely make it easier to try to bottom out for another top draft pick. It’s very difficult to say what it really means for the franchise in the long run.
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