With the NBA summer league in full effect, we’ve gotten a close look at the rookie crop from the 2023 NBA draft. Most of the hype and talk has been about the performance of No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama.
But one ESPN NBA analyst isn’t picking the 7-foot-3 Frenchman to take home Rookie of the Year honors. That’s right, the one and only Kendrick Perkins doesn’t believe that Wembanyama or others like Blazers dynamic guard Scoot Henderson and Hornets forward Brandon Miller will win the coveted award.
Perkins instead opted for someone from the 2022 draft class. Big Perk chose former Gonzaga star Chet Holmgren to win the award during Friday’s episode of “NBA Today” on ESPN.
“That’s who is my rookie of the year is this year,” Perkins said of Holmgren. “Did you see him in summer league? Did you see what he’s capable of doing?
“He can pick and roll. He can pick and pop. He can take you off the dribble. He can finish around the basket. He has elite handles.”
Holmgren Will Have Plenty Of Opportunities
Holmgren, who missed all of his rookie season with a foot injury, is affectionately known as the “Unicorn,” and has also recently been dubbed the “Slippery Eel” by Perkins.
Chet’s hype wasn’t quite at the level of Wemby’s, but the basketball world was definitely dissapointed that Holmgren got hurt and didn’t get a chance to flex his unique skill set.
At 7 feet, he’s a unique weapon for the OKC Thunder. Not often do you see a player that size who’s able to run the floor, shoot threes, attack the rim, protect the rim and create offense for teammates. His multi-faceted game will do wonders for a young, rising Thunder team.
Prior to his foot injury in last year in a pro-am game, Holmgren was outstanding. The Minnesota product dropped 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and six assists in his lone action last summer. Holmgren has picked right up this summer, averaging 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, setting the tone for the Thunder in each game out in Vegas.
Holmgren Will Have Competition For ROY Award
Given that the 2022-23 ROY race was pretty much Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero’s to lose from the jump, many believe if Holmgren had been healthy he would’ve pushed him. Now Holmgren will have to outperform the hype surrounding Wembanyama, Scoot and Miller, who seem like the most likely choices.
These rookies will all be on teams that aren’t projected to be competitive, except for maybe Holmgren, whose Thunder lost in the second play-in game prior to last season’s first round of the playoffs. If Holmgren is able to help the Thunder land a playoff spot it’ll do wonders for his chances to win the award.
If Holmgren can win the award he’ll join Blake Griffin and Ben Simmons as former players who missed their initial rookie season but maintained that rookie eligibility and took home the award in technically their second seasons.
