Official: Thunder's No. 2 pick Holmgren out for season due to injury

2022-08-26 11:20

Official: Thunder's No. 2 pick Holmgren out for season due to injury


The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Thursday that No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren will miss the 2022/23 season with a tarso-metatarsal complex injury in his right foot.


"We're disappointed by Chet's injury, especially given the excitement he's been getting on the court with his teammates this season," Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Sam Presti said in a statement. . "We knew Chet was going to have a long career with the Thunder and Oklahoma City. We were most impressed with Chet's determination and focus before we drafted him. Ba's spirit can help him through his recovery period, and we will spare no effort to support him."


Multiple media outlets pointed to a suspected injury to Holmgren during a semi-pro league game hosted by retired star Jamal Crawford on Saturday. At that time, Holmgren left the court with discomfort in his right ankle after defending a fast-break layup by LeBron James. The game ended in only 20 minutes and was terminated early because the court was too slippery. In addition to Holmgren and LeBron, NBA players such as Tatum, Dejounte Murray, and Banqueiro were also invited to participate in the semi-professional league. Presti, however, said Chet's injury has little to do with the playing field.


"Every time you step on the basketball court there's a chance of injury," Presti said. "It can happen in a game, it can happen in a training session, it can happen in a scrimmage. I've talked a lot about the role of luck - good luck and bad luck - and how it plays in our lives and in our sport. It's just a great example of bad luck."


For Holmgren's right foot injury, Presti expressed a relatively optimistic attitude. He told the media that he believed that Holmgren would make a complete recovery after the operation, and took Embiid and Griffin as examples, emphasizing that many players in NBA history missed their rookie seasons due to injuries. Still a lot of achievements.


Presti also mentioned Holmgren's current mentality, "He's in a good mentality, he was initially quite disappointed, I'm sure he still is, but his mood is very high. He's ready for rehab, I think he's going to do really well."