NBA Draft: Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren Has Only Worked Out For The Orlando Magic And Oklahoma City Thunder

SportsMoney NBA Draft 2022: Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren Has Worked Out For Only The Orlando Magic And OKC Thunder Adam Zagoria Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I’m a basketball and tennis insider New! Follow this author to improve your content experience. Got it! Jun 22, 2022, 11:40am EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin PORTLAND, OREGON – MARCH 17: Chet Holmgren #34 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball against the .

. . [+] Georgia State Panthers during the first half in the first round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 17, 2022 in Portland, Oregon.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) Getty Images Chet Holmgren has only worked out for two teams — the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder — ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft, a league source said. The 7-foot, 195-pound Gonzaga freshman is widely projected to go No. 2 to the Thunder, with Auburn’s Jabari Smith expected to go No.

1 overall to the Magic. “I’ve had a few workouts with teams,” Holmgren said this week on a Zoom call. “I’m not going to disclose as far as who that is or what went down.

I was well prepared for them after two months pre-draft training in California. ” He added: “At the end of the day, it’s gonna be a complete blessing to have an NBA jersey and put that hat on draft night. No matter where it is, it’s not up to me at the end of the day.

No matter where it is, I’m going to lace my shoes up and get to work as soon as I touch down in the city. ” Holmgren, who averaged 14. 1 points, 9.

9 rebounds and 3. 7 blocks while shooting 41-of-105 from deep (39%) in his one-and-done season, is a unique prospect because he possesses guard skills at his size, can shoot from long range and is also a tremendous defensive presence at the rim and in the paint. “I’ve been blessed with certain tools you can’t really teach,” he said.

PROVO, UT – FEBRUARY 5: Chet Holmgren #34 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs warms up before their game . . .

[+] against the BYU Cougars February 5, 2022 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) Getty Images MORE FOR YOU WWE Extreme Rules 2021 Results: Winners, News And Notes As Roman Reigns Beats The Demon The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players 2021: Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo Reclaims Top Spot From PSG’s Lionel Messi The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Green Bay Packers’ Win Over The San Francisco 49ers Holmgren, who won four state titles at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, sounded enthusiastic about playing with the Thunder’s young core, led by guards Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He also spoke highly of GM Sam Presti and called the Thunder a great organization.

“I feel like I could fit in with almost anybody,” he said. “I feel like I’m somebody who highlights other players’ skills as well as finds where to fit in with my skills. I feel like I have a wide variety of skills that compare well with anybody — especially a point guard like Josh Giddey, who has great vision, knows how to get into the teeth of defense and distribute the ball.

(It) makes life easy for me and being a lob threat, as well as being able to open up the floor for him, as well spacing the floor — things like that. “And then, with Shai, he doesn’t really need any help from anybody. He’s a hell of a player.

He went to get to wherever he wants to on the floor and make things happen on his own. In terms of spacing the floor and figuring out where to fit in with those guys (and) what they’d like to do and how to compare, I feel like that’d be an easy transition. ” ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony believes Holmgren would be a “terrific fit” in Oklahoma City.

“They have a huge need in the frontcourt,” Givony said Wednesday on SportsCenter. “They were the worst offense in the NBA last year, and he’s going to bring them great gravity with his ability to stretch the floor. He’s a tremendous finisher, he can create his own shot, he’s terrific handling the ball off the defensive glass.

He really does everything on the offensive end, so he’s going to help them quite a bit while also being a Defensive Player of the Year type candidate. ” When it comes to NBA comparisons for Holmgren, there really is no pure analogy. He is a basketball unicorn in the truest sense of the word.

Despite their vastly different body types, he is similar to Zion Williamson because NBA draft experts had no real pure comparison for the 6-7, 285-pound Williamson coming out of Duke three years ago , either. “It’s crazy because there are not many prototypes like [Holmgren],” ESPN college basketball expert Fran Fraschilla said. “I would say he plays on both ends of the floor the way a young Kevin Garnett did coming out of high school.

Even with that, it’s hard to put Chet in a box because he is unique. ” NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 19: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets takes a shot to tie the game and . .

. [+] force overtime as P. J.

Tucker #17 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends in the final seconds of regulation during game seven of the Eastern Conference second round at Barclays Center on June 19, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) Getty Images Holmgren shrugged off comparisons but said he does try to “emulate” Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, who was super-thin coming out of Texas and owns the nickname “The Slim Reaper.

” “KD is definitely one of the guys that I’ve watched and try to emulate some of the things that he does,” he said. Brian Sandifer, who coached Holmgren and Orlando’s Jalen Suggs with the Grassroots Sizzle AAU program, thinks Holmgren is different from Durant, though. “Chet to me is different,” he said.

“For one, he is a way better rim protector than KD and plays a different style. “The comparisons to me are more of body type and Chet’s ability to shoot the ball and handle it. Also Chet has an edge to him mentally that KD didn’t have coming right into the league.

We have shirts from our program that read, ‘We want the smoke. ’ We live by that Chet and Jalen are the poster child for that message. ” Some NBA personnel believe it will take Holmgren 2-3 years to get his body NBA ready, with one saying that made Auburn’s Smith “the surest bet.

” Holmgren knows he will have to bulk up and get stronger to compete in the NBA and said this week he is “continuing to work on my body every single day in the weight room” and “nutritionally. ” “Most importantly,” he said, “I want my jump shot to be pure and consistent. If you can shoot and play defense you can play anywhere at any time in any game.

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