Oklahoma City Thunder Rookie Chet Holmgren The team announced on Thursday that Lisfranc will miss the 2022-23 season due to a right leg injury.
Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft, was injured while fielding early in the CrawsOver Pro-Am event. lebron james Taking a break suddenly.
“We are disappointed in Chet, especially given how excited he was to be on court with his teammates this season,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. said. “We know Chet has had a longer career than him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community. It was his determination and focus.I hope that same tenacity will carry him forward.How long we will work together and support him during his rehab.”
Presti told reporters at an availability session late Thursday that Holmgren will undergo foot surgery after the Thunder consulted with three of the nation’s top foot experts. Presti confirms Holmgren suffered a torn tendon in his leg, not a fracture, saying the Thunder are optimistic about his long-term recovery but they will be “very conservative”. rice field.
“Something positive will come out of this,” said Presti, who said Holmgren has already resumed weight training and shooting practice without putting pressure on his legs.
Holmgren’s size was a subject of frequent debate throughout his lone season at Gonzaga and in the weeks leading up to the draft. However, Presti stressed that the “contact injury” had nothing to do with Holmgren’s physique.
“He’s just going to get stronger and look at things differently and learn the NBA and he’ll get better,” Presti said. You will be able to do a lot with the ball.”
Holmgren, along with James, was one of many NBA players to participate in the Pro-Am. Jason TatumNo.1 pick Paolo Banchero, Dejounte Murray When Aaron Gordon.
The game was canceled in the second quarter due to court conditions. An unusually humid day in Seattle combined with a packed crowd resulted in repeated wet spots and condensation. Presti said she doesn’t believe condensation was a factor in her Holmgren’s injury.
“The guys play everywhere, all the time,” said Presti. “If you have players who love to play, they’ll play basketball. Every time you step onto a basketball court, something like this can happen. It can happen in a game. It can happen in practice… scrimmage…that’s just part of it.”
The NBA considers pro-am a sanctioned activity, and Holmgren’s failure to fully recover from his injury does not jeopardize his future earnings.
The Thunder will receive reimbursement of 80% of salary per game, or about $4 million, after Holmgren has missed 41 games this season.
Presti said injuries won’t cause the Thunder so much as to give up and tank for a better position in the 2023 draft, as some fans have suggested.
“We need to focus on what we can control. I think we have a group of players who are continuously improving for quite some time,” he said. “But we’re still climbing mountains in the Western Conference. We’ll have to see where it goes. It’s been the same every season since 2008. I mean, how the season unfolds. must wait for
Holmgren averaged 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds over five games in the Las Vegas Summer League earlier this year. Presti said Thursday that Holmgren is “having a monster summer” and that he’ll be “a force” when he returns to the Thunder.
High draft picks having to sit out their first NBA season weren’t unprecedented and, in some cases, didn’t stop players from reaching All-Star or MVP level.
Ben Simmons Finished first in 2016 and missed the following season with a foot injury. Blake Griffin He was the top pick in 2009, but as was the case with 2007 No. 1 pick Greg Oden, he had to sit out while recovering from a knee injury.
Current NBA top scorer Joel Embiid No. 3 pick in 2014, he missed the first two seasons with foot problems. Narlens Noel A sixth-place selection in 2013, he missed what was supposed to be his first season with a knee problem. Michael Porter Jr.He was the 14th pick in the 2018 draft and missed the season with a back injury.
When asked about Holmgren’s long-term prospects, Presti said Thursday, “I don’t think missing the first year would really change the outcome.”
Nick Collison, the 12th overall pick in the 2003 draft, missed the next season with a shoulder problem. Collison spent his entire career with the Thunder, retiring the number 4 jersey. This was the first honor given by the team during his time in Oklahoma City and remains part of his office fronting the team.
Presti suggested that Collison would be involved in Holmgren’s recovery.
There have been other examples of lottery picks that lost what could have been rookie years. Jonas Valanciunas — No. 5 pick in 2011 — Due to his contractual status with the European team at the time, he did not join the Toronto Raptors until a year later. Dario Saric When Ricky Rubio Before coming to the NBA, he was a lottery pick who played for clubs overseas for two more years.
Orlando chose Fran Vazquez with the 11th pick in 2005, but the Spanish big man never appeared in an NBA game.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Associated Press contributed to this report.
