It’s been over 13 months since Chet Holmgren injured himself while playing against LeBron James. The 2022 NBA Draft’s second overall pick missed the entire 2022-23 season following a Lisfranc injury in his foot during a Pro-am game before the season start. While it’s confirmed that Holmgren will return healthy and fit for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, former three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas recently selected the young OKC center as his pick for the Rookie of the Year award next year.
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Surprisingly, Agent Zero picked Holmgren over Victor Wembanyama, who is considered the hottest draft pick since LeBron James. Explaining this pick, Arenas recently elaborated on the differences between Chet Holmgren and Wemby on the Gil’s Arena podcast. Apparently, Arenas does not seem convinced about Wemby being the best NBA rookie as of yet.
Gilbert Arenas picks Chet Holmgren as his pick for Rookie of the Year
Chet Holmgren’s NBA debut was delayed by an entire season after the 2022 top pick suffered an injury attempting to defend LeBron James during a pro-am game. Holmgren picked a foot injury during that fateful play against King James, which ruled him out for the entirety of the 2022-23 season.
Thirteen months later, the Oklahoma City Thunder fans are hopeful to see Holmgren debut for the team this season. This would also mean that this season will be counted as Holmgren’s rookie year, which would put him in competition against Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama for the ROTY award. When asked to make a pick for the Rookie of the Year award, Gilbert Arenas chose Chet Holmgren over Wemby. Arenas explained his decision to his crew during the podcast:
“I think Chet [Holmgren] will win it. Only because he’s on a better team and he knows how to do everything, right? Chet is gonna have numbers that Wemby is just not thinking of right now, like rebounding. Chet is really trying to rebound. Wemby is the ball go up, he’s out. He think he 5’10”, like he cherry picking. He’s literally cherry picking like he going to challenge a shot, keep going. So they throwing a fast break to him half the time. Chet is gonna damn near average a double-double.”
Gilbert Arenas’ observation may seem right, as Chet Holmgren is definitely a versatile player. Even as a big man, Holmgren can combine his moves, handles, and shooting, to promptly switch between roles as a guard and a big man.
Furthermore, Holmgren’s vertical is pretty decent as well. Combining it with his 7’6″ wingspan, Agent Zero’s claim about Holmgren’s rebounding abilities definitely checks out. Furthermore, owing to his superior three-point shooting skills, the OKC rookie averaging a double-double seems more than imminent this season.
Chet Holmgren has also earned Paul George’s support for his ROTY campaign
Paul George seems excited to watch Chet Holmgren’s debut in the NBA this season. The Clippers star considers Holmgren one of the best prospects, given the many opportunities he will receive this season. Here is what PG13 had to say about the Thunder star’s debut this season.
“I mean, it’s gonna come down [to] who’s gonna play more. I’m gonna go with Chet. Just because I think he is gonna play a ton, they’re going to be a winning team, and the way they play, it’s going to be fun to watch. And so I think he’s going to get a lot of coverage.”
Paul George has a similar opinion on Victor Wembanyama. Though considered the hottest draft prospect this season, the French prodigy indeed has much to learn before starting the season. With such tight competition for the ROTY title, it would definitely be a treat watching the rookies give it their all to emerge the best in their draft class.
