When it comes to NBA rookies, all the focus is on Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama, but Chet Holmgren is the real deal, too.
During OKC’s win over Houston on Sunday, Holmgren became the first rookie in NBA history to
aggregate 150+ blocks and 100+ 3PM in a season. He also became the first player
overall to tally 150+ blocks, 150+ assists and 100+3PM in a season.
Wemby fans will be quick to bring up that he’s averaging more points (20.7 to 17.1), rebounds (10.1 to 7.7), assists (3.3 to 2.7) and blocks (3.3 to 2.6) in fewer minutes (28.5 to 30.1) than Holmgren. But what’s inarguable is that Wemby isn’t the knockdown shooter Holmgren is — not yet at least.
While Holmgren is shooting an impressive .544/.403/.771 splits, Wemby has been rather inefficient in comparison, shooting .467/.318/.813 splits through 52 games. Furthermore, Holmgren is the third option on his team who attempts only 11.9 shots per game, as opposed to Wembanyama, who takes 16.2 shots per game as the first option on the Spurs. While the Spurs offense is increasingly geared towards feeding their star rookie, Holmgren gets most of his points within the flow of the game and via the picks he sets for the top two scorers on his team — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Since the All-Star break, though, Holmgren is playing anything like a third option. The Gonzaga product has been on a tear through OKC’slast three wins, averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 65 percent from the field. Holmgren’s FG attempts have risen to 14 since the All-Star break, with OKC coach Mark Daigneault making a concerted effort to get him more shots.
If Holmgren can continue at his current pace, he could very well supersede Wembanyama in the NBA’s Rookie of the Year race. As it stands, Wemby (-650) is the overwhelming favorite over Holmgren (+500), per BETMGM. But those odds shifted only over the past month or so — Holmgren was a slight favorite at the start of 2024, and also the preferred candidate for analysts such as JJ Redick. As such, those odds could once again fluctuate if Holmgren and the second-seeded
Thunder keep at their winning ways.
