Coming to the NBA is not an easy task. There are a lot of hardships along the way and the players who overcome them make a name for themselves in the league. Each year, many NBA prospects give their best to prove their worth to scouts via college basketball.
Speaking of prospects, Chet Holmgren was the number 1 recruit from the class of 2021. For many, he is the unanimous pick to get drafted with the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Moreover, Holmgren joined the Gonzaga program, which is known for its efficient offense in college basketball.
Although there is still some time for the 2022 NBA Draft, Holmgren has a chance to make history, only if he gets drafted number 1. Reddit user u/BloodyCharizard brought this potential record to light in his post.
“If Chet Holmgren goes #1 overall in this years draft, he would be the first White American to go #1 in the draft since 1977. The last white American to go #1 overall was one Kent Benson 45 years ago. Mildly interesting. This doesn’t include half white players like Blake Griffin.”
That is an interesting stat indeed and at the same time, it might bring a lot of pressure on Chet’s shoulder as well.
While it might sound intriguing to see this drought end, the hope for it is quite low as of now. Despite being the number one recruit, the 19-year-old center has seemed to drop down in the pecking order.
He is still expected to be a top draft pick, but not with the first overall pick by any means. Instead of Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith are the current favorites to be drafted with the first pick of the draft.
It was reported by Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated that Banchero and Smith have separated themselves from the rest of the class.
Despite that, Holmgren has a great career ahead of him. The seven-footer could be a great addition to any NBA team. He can score at will in the paint and has a decent jumper as well. So there is still hope for him to regain his spot as the number one overall pick in the draft.
