With a 20-9 record after Christmas, the OKC Thunder have been one of the biggest surprise teams of the season so far. A lot of their success has been tied to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but rookie big man Chet Homgren has also been getting some massive credit for their dominance. Chet has looked good so far, but the jury is still out on his potential and not everyone is convinced that he’s the NBA’s next big thing.
“Y’all throwin’ around words that we had to work hard for,” O’Neal said on the ‘BIG’ podcast. “Phenomenal’s not the right word. He’s good, but don’t be going promising a great and future Hall of Famer. Startin’ today, I’m puttin’ an end to all that s—. I am, startin’ today. Y’all can’t just be giving these people things who ain’t put in no work… Phenomenal is the wrong word. And you can’t use dominant unless he does it for a consistent amount of time. I’m not talkin’ two or three games. I’m talkin’ years.”
Holmgren and the Thunder have been a nice story this season and fans are eager to see how they will hold up for the rest of the season but we need to see more before ranking them in the same tier as the more proven teams like the Nuggets, Kings, Lakers, and Warriors. For Holmgren, he still has to show that he can lead when the stakes are highest, and not even Shaq was able to come out and find success right out of the gate.
Shaq Set The Standard
When it comes to rookies, there is no doubt that Chet Holmgren is at the top of his class with averages of 17.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game this season. Even so, Shaq was just at a different level and it showed in his very first season. The Orlando Magic only finished 41-41 that season, but O’Neal would go on to be named an All-Star in 1993 while averaging 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game on 56.2.% shooting.
Of course, O’Neal’s moment didn’t arrive until 1995, when he finally made ground in the playoffs by leading his team to the Finals. It’s rare for any player so young to achieve such great heights but it was a sign of things to come for Shaq, who is widely recognized today as one of the 10 greatest players ever. So before anybody can compare to him, they’ll need to string together a long stretch of dominance beyond just a single season.
A Gradual Climb For Chet
Holmgren is clearly not on Shaq’s level (at least, not yet) but he’s still on track for an impressive career, all things considered. After being drafted 2nd overall in 2022, Holmgren missed what would have been his rookie campaign to recover from a foot injury. Since his debut, however, the young big man has impressed with his amazing shot-blocking and valuable three-point shooting.
His presence on the Thunder has resulted in one of the best offenses in the league and they look to be a serious threat this spring. But until this young Thunder squad wins a round or two (or three) in the playoffs, nobody is going to crown them as the favorites and they still have to prove they can hang with the elites.
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