Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic and Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder are two players in the NBA who will forever be connected due to these talented players going No. 1 and 2 in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Unfortunately for Holmgren, an injury suffered in the offseason resulted in him missing his entire rookie season with the Thunder, which essentially makes the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season his rookie campaign in Oklahoma City.
Without a lot of competition for the regular-season award, Banchero won NBA Rookie of the Year, which Holmgren will try to accomplish this season while competing with Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson.
In a recent appearance on “The Crew Has It” podcast, Banchero talked about his relationship with Holmgren, which goes back to high school, via Landon Buford.
Magics' Paolo Banchero On Friendship with @ChetHolmgren:
"Me and Chet, we were [in] the same high school class, and like growing up in high school, everyone pinned
us against each other, and like no knew. We were actually cool," @Pp_doesit Tells… pic.twitter.com/r1nvxXrU7W— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) September 26, 2023
Banchero and Holmgren usher in a new crop of NBA players, along with Wembanyama and Henderson, that could pave the way for the future of the game in the years to come.
After a solid first season with the Magic, Banchero has already put the league on notice that he’s a star in the making.
As for Holmgren, he’ll have his work cut out for him as he shares the floor with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, who have already started to prove their worth as promising young players on the rise in the NBA.
Holmgren’s most challenging test will be staying healthy and proving that despite his skinny frame, he can be a star in this league.
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