Chet Holmgren

Chet Holmgren shines in his 1st Summer League game, Keegan Murray rolls along and more from Summer League action in Utah and California.

Williams finished with eight assists and two steals and had a timely dime to Tillman with 1:36 left. He also had nine rebounds and was big in the fourth quarter, going 4-for-5 overall and perfect (3-for-3) from 3-point range. He also had a big block with 3:05 left before getting a big steal and dunk with 42.1 seconds remaining to help seal the win. The No. 4 overall pick was clutch in the fourth quarter, nailing a jumper with 4:18 left to help Sacramento go up 71-70 and reclaim its lead. To say Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 Draft, did not disappoint in his Summer League debut would be a vast understatement. The thing that impressed me the most with him was how well he played within our style,” said Kameron Woods, coach of the Thunder’s Summer League team.

(CNN) He came in with a lot of hype and expectation, and in his first professional outing, Chet Holmgren shone. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft ...

It looked like team basketball out there and he found success within what we're doing." "I thought he was really good offensively. He can stretch the floor, finish at the rim. He protects me, he's got my back on the defensive end. When he was told afterwards that he had broken the block record, Holmgren said he wanted more. Great night for him and that helped me out a lot."

The Thunder understood the risk in drafting Holmgren. But they also saw the upside, all of which was on display on Tuesday.

“The thing that impresses you the most about him is just for how big he is, he's a playmaker,” said Woods. “And in the modern NBA, you need playmakers all over the floor. Neither is Holmgren. Seated on a makeshift dais—sideways, as Holmgren’s legs didn’t fit under a table—Holmgren says he doesn’t have a weight targeted for the start of the season. He has the skills of an All-Star guard and the frame of McLovin. At his best Holmgren has the potential to further revolutionize the center position. So just try and learn from every single experience, every single moment, each play, each film session, shootaround, whatever it might be, and try to take that forward.” He can’t get by his defender and he realized that early and settled for threes the rest of game. He will need to make difficult shots this season to have a good year because he settles for jumpers and can’t play inside. He's one of those guys that can sit down with guards and he's so long that he can block shots on the perimeter … I knew we had a special talent.” Oklahoma City understood the risk in drafting Holmgren. But they also saw the upside, all of which was on display on Tuesday. Giddey says he envisions he and Holmgren forming a lethal pick-and-pop combination. He has a long way to go.” Cockburn bulldozed by him for a short hook in the first half and Fall moved him at will in the paint. If there is such a thing as a prototypical NBA body, Holmgren’s is the opposite of it. Summer league success translates to the NBA about as often as wiffle ball skills in baseball.

Chet Holmgren did it all in his NBA Summer League debut with the Thunder — and he knows it.

Great night for him, and that helped me out a lot.” The 19-year-old was a force on both ends of the floor — throwing down monster dunks, shaking defenders, and hitting shots from behind the arc, including pull-up jumpers. Holmgren is no stranger to seeing that stat at a collegiate level.

Thunder first-round pick Chet Holmgren looked like a future star in his Summer League debut.

Kane’s story frames Johansson’s win as a changing of the guard in the world of boxing, but to assert himself as a worthy champion Johansson would have to defend his title against Patterson. The rematch finally came a year later, on June 20, 1960, and the result was exactly what observers had predicted the first time around. “A long left hook banged into his jaw and toppled him over backward with a crash that jarred the ring. He has the skills of an All-Star guard and the frame of McLovin. At his best Holmgren has the potential to further revolutionize the center position. … Chris Herring looks at the big risk the Timberwolves took in paying a steep price to acquire the type of player—Rudy Gobert—that the NBA is moving away from. Ingemar scandalized the sports world by openly enjoying the company of his parents, his siblings and his fiancée, while living in a $100,000 country home near Grossinger's Hotel in the beautiful Catskills. Prizefighters are supposed to diet on beef, preferably steaks, but Ingemar loved his herring and ice cream. Fighters are ordered to shun nightclubs but Ingemar slipped out occasionally for a bit of dancing with his girl. Johansson had earned the heavyweight title match against Patterson by beating American Eddie Machen in his hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden, nine months earlier. (The contract she signed was sold at auction for $3,000 in 2017.) But as the record-setting six blocks prove, Holmgren isn’t a bad interior defender by any stretch of the imagination. [Kofi] Cockburn bulldozed him for a short hook in the first half and [Tacko] Fall moved him at will in the paint.” He looked every bit like a future NBA star, by which I mean he made the kind of plays you’d expect from a future NBA star. Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in last month’s draft, put on a Thunder uniform for the first time in OKC’s Summer League opener against the Jazz. He ended up with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a Summer League-record six blocks in 24 minutes.

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Chet Holmgren with the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and he was stellar in his debut.

There are examples of Summer League stars that do not pan out, there are also examples of NBA stars who dominated the Summer League ranks as well. Tuesday was the first glimpse of Chet Holmgren in an Oklahoma City Thunder uniform. Chet Holmgren was a plus 26 in the game, he swatted a Utah Summer Leauge record six shots on defense and displayed his rim protection in his first game as a pro.

Here's a story about how boatloads of fans and media members annually exaggerate offseason performances as if they're indicators of what basketball players ...

And now look where he is.” That’s what Miami Heat guard Max Strus told ESPN in a recent story about the importance of Summer League and how it helped him become a starter for a team that made it to the Eastern Conference finals after the 26-year-old went undrafted in 2019. “I think, yes, I would be the guy that people can look at and say, ‘He was in his third year in the NBA, he probably shouldn’t have played Summer League, but he went and did it. Guys like Randy Foye, Josh Selby, and Glen Rice Jr. have also been Summer League MVPs, but so have household names like John Wall, Damian Lillard, and Blake Griffin. Sometimes that trophy means you’re destined for a max contract and shoe deals, sometimes it means that you might not be heard from again, and sometimes it means you’re gonna be a really good role player for a decade. The same thing happened — on a less intense level — to Miami Heat rookie Nikola Jović, a 19-year-old Serbian prospect, after he dropped 25 points and 9 rebounds, though teams and fans in the know have been drooling over him for years. Chet Holmgren, one of the most intriguing prospects basketball has ever seen, played well in his NBA Summer League debut on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City going for 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and six blocks. Here’s a story about how boatloads of fans and media members annually exaggerate offseason performances as if they’re indicators of what basketball players will and won’t be for the duration of their careers.

Also in Traina Thoughts: Ja Morant's memorable experience with server; Jim Harbaugh exercises in khakis; people at Wimbledon are feeling frisky and more.

Following the conversation with Andrews, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY in New York, joins Jimmy for the weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. Two, his teammate, Aleksej Pokusevski, is 7'1" and also 190 pounds. Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or TikTok. Two factors are playing into what Holmgren will be known as in the NBA. One, he's 7'1" and 190 pounds. You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Is it going to be Slim Towers or Thin Towers for Holmgren and Pokusevski? I like the ring "Slim Towers" has, but If Holmgren just comes close to living up to the hype that's now surrounding he will be worthy of multiple nicknames.

If you can't appreciate what Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren did on Tuesday night in his Summer League debut, you have no business watching NBA ...

This is a kid who wants to be an all-time great, and who flashed the skill set to do so in the only pro game we've ever seen him play. Well I'm coming to break it again"— NBA (@NBA) @ChetHolmgrenafter setting the Utah Summer League Record for blocks with 6. He also became the first player to ever put up six blocks and four 3-pointers in any NBA Summer League game. Having just been informed that his six blocks set a Salt Lake City Summer League record, Holmgren responded, "Only six? In a 98-77 win over the host Utah Jazz on the first night of the Salt Lake City Summer League, Holmgren dazzled fans in the arena, watching at home, and following on social media by putting up 23 points, seven rebounds, six blocks, four assists and a steal in almost 24 minutes. If you can't appreciate what Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren did on Tuesday night in his Summer League debut, you have no business watching NBA basketball.