Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren was among the 15 names listed on an All-NBA Team. He just barely made the cusp, receiving exactly the 15th-most votes at 87.
The lanky challenger at the rim is also coming off an NBA All-Star and All-Defensive First Team appearance for the first time in his career.
He’s on the chase for a second-straight NBA championship against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, tied at two games each. Holmgren became only the fourth Zag to win an NBA title last summer (Los Angeles Lakers’ Adam Morrison in 2009 and 2010, Miami Heat’s Ronny Turiaf in 2012, and San Antonio Spurs’ Austin Daye in 2014).
Through 69 starts for the Thunder, the 7-1 talent averaged 17.1 points on a shooting split of 55.7 percent from the field, 36.2 percent on three-pointers, and 79.2 percent at the charity stripe. His 8.9 rebounds per game rank tied for No. 11 in the NBA, while his 1.9 blocks per game are tied for No. 2. Most importantly, the world’s up-and-coming basketball star listed a defensive rating of 104.1.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
