The NBA world was really hot on rookie Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder just 24 hours ago.
After some spectacular playing in the NBA Summer League, people thought that Holmgren was the most promising new recruit entering the league.
He was putting up shots, blocking others, and was a force to be reckoned with on the floor.
But despite those moments of greatness, he still has some learning and adjusting to do.
perhaps we were a tad premature pic.twitter.com/JdIci4HxUm
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) July 6, 2022
Rob Perez highlighted a few moments from Holmgren’s performance against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
In the video, Holmgren is getting pushed around, not blocking easy lay-ups, and seems a bit out of pace with those he’s defending.
This is a good indication that everyone should heed caution about getting so excited about Holmgren: there is greatness there but it still needs time to mature.
Pushed Around
Watching the clip from Perez, you can see Holmgren getting his lunch money taken away by multiple players for Memphis.
It’s certainly not the same Holmgren we saw just a day ago.
But this is what happens when you enter the NBA – it has a steep learning curve and few people are consistently great every single game from their first tip-off in the league.
Holmgren will have good and bad nights, just like most other players do.
He definitely has a long way to go before he’s ready to overtake the NBA and truly live up to his full potential; it doesn’t happen overnight.
Can you imagine him going toe-to-toe with someone like Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo?
It’s obvious that he will be some time before Holmgren is able to take on those titans.
NEXT: The Thunder Are Adapting To A New NBA Strategy