Chet Holmgren may not obtain prime billing for Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder’s championship success.
The highlight sometimes shines on MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, second star Jalen Williams, or position gamers like Alex Caruso.
Nonetheless, NBA legend Paul Pierce not too long ago delivered excessive reward for the versatile large man. The previous champion made a comparability that completely captures Chet Holmgren’s distinctive worth to the Thunder.
Pierce believes Holmgren serves the identical position for Oklahoma Metropolis that Scottie Pippen performed for the Chicago Bulls dynasty. The comparability highlights how complementary stars can maximize championship groups.
The Celtics legend defined how Holmgren mirrors Pippen’s influence on profitable basketball. Each gamers excel at doing no matter their staff wants with out demanding the highlight.
“While you have a look at OKC’s basis, they didn’t lay the cement, the bricks, it’s stable. Give it some thought, they acquired two all-stars on a rookie deal. Chet wasn’t an all-star, however he going to be an all-star,” Pierce defined.
Pierce emphasised Holmgren’s full talent set and basketball IQ. “Chet, he like Scottie Pippen for them. He simply do some little bit of the whole lot for them. Straight up, he defend, he rebound, he just like the intangibles however he can do extra. He understands his position,” he added.
Pierce believes Holmgren’s numbers would skyrocket if he turned Oklahoma Metropolis’s clear second possibility. The younger heart averaged 15 factors, eight rebounds, and a couple of.2 blocks final season whereas taking part in third fiddle.
“He is usually a 20-10 man. In case you didn’t have J-Dub, Chet could be a 22 and 10 participant. He even [averaged] 15 [points] and eight [rebounds] as a 3rd possibility,” Pierce projected.
Holmgren demonstrated his trajectory for enchancment from his rookie to sophomore season. He set an NBA Finals document with 5 complete blocks throughout the championship collection.
Former NBA participant JR Smith beforehand in contrast Holmgren to Kevin Durant, suggesting he might make Oklahoma Metropolis much more harmful.
The Kevin Durant comparability speaks to Holmgren’s distinctive mixture of dimension and talent, whereas the position and the utilization confirmed they each are completely different.
Nonetheless, sturdiness issues persist after Holmgren performed solely 32 common season video games final season. Staying wholesome will decide whether or not he reaches the Pippen or Durant ceiling that NBA legends envision.
