Chet Holmgren, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, will miss the entire 2022-23 season, the team announced Thursday. Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot.
“Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “We know Chet has a long career aead of him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community. One of the things that most impressed us during the process of selecting Chet was his determination and focus. We expect that same tenacity will carry him through this period of time as we work together and support him during his rehabilitation.”
Holmgren was playing at Jamal Crawford’s “The Crawsover Pro-Am” in Seattle last weekend and at one point went up to defend LeBron James at the rim. He appeared to land awkwardly and was limping as he tried to make his way back down the court. He left the game after that play and a short time later the entire event was called off due to condensation on the court. (His injury did not seem to be related to the court issue.)
This is obviously disappointing news for both him and the Thunder. Holmgren impressed on both ends of the floor during Summer League action in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, which generated even more excitement for his eventual NBA debut.
In his first game at Salt Lake City, he dropped 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and six blocks; He averaged 12 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.3 steals and two blocks in three games in Vegas. Sure, you can only read so much in Summer League stats, but his ability to influence the game in so many different ways was precisely what made the Thunder eager to make him the second overall pick.
Leading up to the draft, one of the few concerns about Holmgren was regarding his body. The question on many people’s minds was how his spiky, 7-foot, 195-pound body would hold up to the rigors of professional sport. Some may use this injury as proof that they were right, but it is worth noting that this was a temporary game and landing on one’s foot under the basket can happen to anyone.