NBA Draft: Who is Chet Holmgren?

Chet Holmgren is the name on everyone’s list for the upcoming NBA Draft on June 23rd. The 20-year-old, Minnesota native was a rock for Gonzaga in his only season with the team. Prior to playing in the NCAA, Holmgren was the number one ranked player coming out of high school and at Gonzaga, he recorded numbers such as averaging 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.

At seven feet tall, he is considered one of the biggest mixed bags in NBA draft history, praised for his shot-blocking, playmaking, rebounding, and shooting skills. The question surrounding Holmgren is not whether he is good enough for the NBA but rather whether he can adapt quickly to the physical nature of the league.

Below is a brief overview of Chet Holmgren, what he brings to the table, and which are the teams that are looking at the guard as we enter the NBA Draft.

Chet Holmgren skills

Chet Holmgren is considered by scouts to be a good protector of the rim and one of the best defensive prospects coming out of the draft. Despite his big size, Holmgren can dribble effectively, even taking players on one on one. Holmgren’s on court numbers are impressive, 61% from the field, 73% in doubles, 41% triples and 75% on free throws.

Chet Holmgren #34 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs takes a free throw against the San Francisco Dons (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)

Holmgren has drawn comparisons to Kevin Garnett, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant. When it comes to the draft the only way Holmgren won’t go first is if Jabari Smith is picked before him. A scout told Yahoo Sports that, “(Holmgren) intangibles are off the chart… He’s so unique physically with all the other skills and abilities, and if you’re willing to take that home run swing, he’s totally worth it.”

Who has Chet Holmgren spoken to?

According to numerous reports, Chet Holmgren favors a move to the Oklahoma City Thunder, “(Holmgren) want to go to Oklahoma City because you just mentioned that the players that they’ve been playing in the frontcourt, and you start thinking about that second contract and the opportunities and he has way more freedom because of the roster in front of him than maybe he would in Orlando… That’s the preference that I’ve heard, and it makes a lot of sense from a basketball standpoint” was stated in a Topic Thunder podcast by Sam Vecenie on June 16th.

Nonetheless reports on June 19th suggested that Holmgren had met with people from the Orlando Magic, the meetings included dinners and long chats with executives at the club.

In the end no matter where Holmgren goes, he will be one of the most talked about prospects coming out of the draft in quite some time.