Chet Holmgren went perfectly

Sure, the Warriors are in the trough, but last night, Chet Holmgren walked against them: 23 points on 9-of-9 shooting, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 25 minutes. Like his last basket, waiting for Brandin Podziemski, the new Thunder forward could not miss anything in a big win for the NBA champion.

“Given my room for improvement, I figured out how to improve from now on,” explains Chet Holmgrenmoved full-time to position 4 this season. “Before, I just pushed myself because I wanted to work hard. Going through a long playoff run and winning the Finals, you really play against the best teams at your best, and it teaches you what you need to work on. I feel like I did a really good job this summer.”

What does his coach think, who therefore chose Chet Holmgren to pair with Isaiah Hartenstein, placed at the 5 position?

“It’s something that’s been maturing since the beginning of the season. Chet is doing a very good job in his role as a forward. He’s finding his positions, getting into transitions well.” analyzes the Thunder coach. “I think that helps him a lot. He also has a good sense of spacing – he knew how to use the baseline well tonight. Obviously he can create, but he’s really improved his team play, even in a position he didn’t play early in his career. That’s how we get parties like today for him.”

Chet Holmgren is a very fast learner

On his way to earning his first All-Star Game selection, Chet Holmgren never does too much. He averages 19.6 points and 8.9 points without the impression of forcing.

First of all, he perfectly plays his role as a scarecrow in defense. Sure, he’s not as intimidating as Victor Wembanyam, but the Warriors turned a few heads last night when they saw him in front of them. But for his coach, the big difference is that he’s learning at the high speed of the power forward position.

“It takes time to adjust to the speed of one-on-one situations, the spacing, to predict when you’re going to receive the ball. He integrated all of this little by little.” underlines Mark Deno. “It allows him to anticipate his shots, position himself better on the perimeter, like Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins do. He learns from them and improves quickly.”

How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.