“A lot of people say this is Chet’s first season, and that’s true in a way. But above all, it’s our first season with Chet more than Chet’s first season.”.
Sam Presti has a sense of the formula, but like Joel Embiid or Blake Griffin before him, Chet Holmgren will therefore have had a blank season for his rookie year. The fault is a foot injury which has now healed, and he is ready to justify this 2nd place in the 2022 Draft, and to play his first match with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“Playing with a guy like him is going to be awesome,” ignites Chet Holmgren. “Collectively, we will have to have an overall view. We’re going to make mistakes, we’re going to have to figure out how everything fits together. This team has never had anyone who is necessarily a threat on lobbed passes. It will therefore take time to find the right timing and automatisms.”
A year to study your teammates and opponents
As an individual, we will have to find sensations and rhythm, even on basic elements like free throws. And then, you will have to evolve your game according to the opposing defenses and plans.
“ It’s going to take a bit of repetition and matches to better understand how I can adapt to the guys and vice versa.” he explained in July. “I’m going to have to find my shooting touch again… Taking shots in a match after not having done it for a year, it’s really different. I’m going to have to get used to all these things again, and then continue to evolve throughout the season, once the scouts have identified me… What teams let me do or prevent me from doing will change, so I should adjust to all that.”
For a year, Chet Holmgren had a front-row seat to discover his teammates. Like other injured players before him, the former Gonzaga pivot assures that it was not wasted time, and that he will benefit from it. “When you watch matches from three meters away, you see a lot of things that you don’t see on television. I discovered it this summer while playing with and against many NBA players. Live, we see things that we don’t see on television.”
The key to the cons? Never hesitate!
Chet Holmgren studied the game of his teammates, but also that of his opponents. In Summer League, he notably highlighted his enormous qualities as a blocker. More than his wingspan and his size, it is his reading and his anticipation that allow him to make big scotches, sometimes with both hands. Like a volleyball player!
“The most important thing is to never hesitate. If you hesitate, you are late” he confides. “Being tall helps a lot. If you’re late, you don’t have time (to counter with both hands). You have to stand up and stay straight to go with two hands, but if you are late, you have to go with one hand. »
Another key element, already mentioned by the biggest counters, you must not be afraid of being on a “poster”.
“The most important thing is not to be afraid of getting dunked on it. When you get dunked on it, it’s because the guy was better at this action. My job is to go against, and so I will do my job every time. »
