25-under-25: Chet Holmgren offers an inspired take on the NBA unicorn

Chet Holmgren ranked No. 23 on The Step Back's 2023-24 25-under-25, ranking the best young players in the NBA. Check out the rest of the list here.

The Oklahoma City Thunder eagerly made Chet Holmgren the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He's the latest NBA 'unicorn' to test our understanding of positions in a positionless league. On paper, Holmgren is a center — every bit of 7-feet tall with sky-scraping arms and a proclivity for blocking shots.

Oklahoma City will start Holmgren at the 5 spot. He will anchor the defense and tower above a much shorter roster. That said, for every traditional center trait he possesses, Holmgren displays an equally untraditional attribute for the position.

We can start with his weight. After a summer of well-documented work in the weight room, Holmgren clocks in at 208 pounds. He's a string bean at a position, even today, known for its brutish physicality. Holmgren is also quick on his feet, capable of guarding on the perimeter or maneuvering through tight spaces off the dribble. That's not normal for a player his size, no matter how normalized the positionless concept becomes.

Holmgren spent one season at Gonzaga, where he absolutely dominated for one of college basketball's top programs. He won Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and All-Conference honors in the WCC. His numbers were difficult to overlook: 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 3.7 blocks on .607/.390/.717 splits in 26.9 minutes.

A number of experts placed Holmgren No. 1 on their draft boards. OKC picking him in the No. 2 slot felt like a foregone conclusion. He was the perfect prospect for a team that prizes versatility and skill. Every player in OKC's starting lineup next season will have the capacity to defend multiple positions and create off the dribble.

What separates Holmgren from the rest of the team, however — and what makes him such an integral piece to the Thunder's puzzle — is his ability to protect the rim. OKC was able to blitz teams with multiple creators and the impressive shot-making of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last season. The perimeter defense was airtight. With Holmgren, now the issue of frontcourt size and a lack of rim deterrence is not only solved but completely eradicated. With Holmgren, the Thunder will turn a crippling weakness into a resounding strength.

Chet Holmgren can take the Oklahoma City Thunder to the next level

OKC was a rough shooting night away from the playoffs last season. Gilgeous-Alexander announced his stardom to the world, an announcement he further amplified during Canada's FIBA World Cup run. Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams look the part of legitimate co-stars. The Thunder have depth at every position and one of the league's brightest young coaches in Mark Daigneault.

Center was the lone spot of weakness, mainly because the team couldn't prepare for Holmgren's absence last season. He injured his foot guarding LeBron James full-court in a Pro-Am game — s*** happens.

The result was ligament damage and a year of recovery for the 21-year-old. OKC made do with second-round picks Jaylin Williams and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, as well as vets like Mike Muscala and Dario Saric, but none came close to Holmgren's expected impact.

Now, it's full steam ahead. Holmgren has put together a productive and, most importantly, healthy offseason. He played with the select team in U.S. FIBA World Cup practices and he has spent the summer training with Kevin Durant and all sorts of big-name NBAers.

The Thunder have the luxury of adding two lottery picks — Holmgren, as well as 2023 No. 10 pick Cason Wallace — to a group that was on the postseason doorstep last season. Sam Presti's masterful asset management continues to pay dividends. OKC has too many picks to use over the next few years, which means the team has the draft capital and financial flexibility to swing a major trade or two. And, with Holmgren and SGA cemented as franchise pillars, the time for such a trade should be sooner than later.

It's important to remain patient with Holmgren, who has been away from truly competitive basketball for a while. There's a stark difference between Summer League or U.S. practices, and full-speed NBA games. Holmgren still has to adjust to the physicality of professional basketball. It's going to pose an issue on defense, no doubt, but also on offense. There were times in Vegas this summer when Holmgren lost his handle simply because he couldn't absorb contact on a drive. Expect the standard ugly turnovers and learning curve every rookie deals with.

That said, Holmgren is a redshirt rookie. We have seen time and time again that there are certain benefits to spending your first NBA season on the bench. Ben Simmons is the prime example: a top pick who studied from the sidelines for a year and then exploded from day one as a so-called rookie, much to the chagrin of Donovan Mitchell.

Holmgren faces a more difficult path to Rookie of the Year honors than Simmons did — Victor Wembanyama is the Holmgren unicorn prototype on steroids — but Holmgren should have a rare combination of stats, impact, and wins.

That's right. The Thunder are going to win games this season and Holmgren is going to be a major contributor.

SGA creates more advantages than just about any other NBA player. Josh Giddey, who displayed instant chemistry with Holmgren in the 2022 Summer League, is one of the most gifted set-up men in the league. J-Dub will pressure the rim and create off the perimeter too. Holmgren is perfectly placed to play to his offensive strengths — catch-and-shoot 3s, straight-line drives, pick-and-rolls — without being asked to do too much. On defense, meanwhile, his 7-foot-6 wingspan and preternatural instincts should bear immediate fruit. He has a number of quality defenders in front of him, headlined by All-Defense candidate Lu Dort. OKC is going to get a metric ton of stops.

The perfect storm is brewing in OKC. Holmgren is a critical piece to the puzzle, perhaps the glue to stick everything together. It's risky to put so much faith in a rookie, no matter how much NBA experience that rookie has, but Holmgren is a singular talent with elite feel and a dynamic skill set.

High floor, high ceiling. That's what the Thunder drafted in Holmgren. Get ready to start talking about the Thunder in non-rebuilding terms.