- Chet Holmgren is wary of adding too much weight to his body
- Holmgren explained the weight will just naturally come as he adds more muscle and gets older
- Holmgren added that the focus has been working all around on his body
The big concern surrounding Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren has always been his weight. He has been viewed as being too skinny, and the consensus has been that he needs to add more weight to his body.
Holmgren though, who missed his rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury, is wary of adding too much weight. He explained his thought process during an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast.
“It’s not just about being big. There’s so much into the game now,” Holmgren said. “You got to be able to move still and do so many different things. It’s not necessarily about gaining weight. It’s really just trying to work on my body — stronger, more athletic.
“Really, the weight kinda comes with it as you add some muscle and get older, you always add weight,” Holmgren continued. “But I don’t want to add the wrong weight, just get some big broad shoulders and now I’m moving slow, can’t move (and) my knees hurt. The focus has been working on my body all around and how it plays into my game.”
(starts at 4:50 mark):
He just wants it to be a gradual process and that is really the right approach. You don’t know how the body would react if he had bulked up significantly after having such a skinny frame for so long. It might have also had a negative impact on his movement on the court, as big men today need to be able to slide their feet to defend on the perimeter.
We heard something similar from the Victor Wembanyama camp on the weight front, although they seem to have gone a step beyond Chet. Wembnayama’s agent Bouna Ndiaye stated that they would fight to not put weight on his body. Ndiaye thinks additional weight on his client’s body would be a big mistake and they would focus on strength as well as core.
Chet Holmgren Balled Out At The Summer League
There were understandably a few concerns surrounding Holmgren after such a long spell on the sidelines, but he’s made a strong recovery by the looks of it. After his first Summer League game, he claimed it felt as if the injury never happened.
He ended up playing four games in total and averaged 16.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 3.5 BPG. Kevin Garnett was very impressed by what he saw from the young big man, as he praised his shot-blocking, IQ, and intangibles.
Holmgen has gained some buzz for Rookie of the Year following these displays and it would be a terrific comeback story if he does manage to win the award.
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