Which NBA teams could pick Chet Holmgren in Draft & what kind of player is he?
Gonzaga Bulldogs star Chet Holmgren, who is among the players who could be the number-one pick, has declared for the 2022 NBA Draft.
One of the contenders to be the next number-one pick has confirmed he will be entering the 2022 NBA Draft. Chet Holmgren will make the step up from college basketball after excelling for Gonzaga Bulldogs, with observers identifying the 19-year-old as a player with the ideal skill set to succeed in today’s NBA.
Holmgren, who has been a well-known talent for years because of his performances for the USA’s age-group teams, has spent only a single season in the NCAA, America’s college sport system. He appeared in March Madness with the Bulldogs last month, serving up ample evidence of his on-court abilities as Gonzaga reached the Sweet 16 round.
In his only year in the NCAA, Holmgren averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks.
A tall front court player who can do it all
The Minneapolis native is a player who breaks previous moulds, and has the kind of profile that is more and more in demand: a huge big man who can do everything. Among the NBA’s current established performers, the Washington Wizards’ Kristaps Porzingis is an example of that; among the other future prospects in world basketball, there’s ASVEL Basket’s Victor Wembanyama.
Holmgren is seven feet tall, but weighs only 195 pounds. He makes up for his low weight for a player who operates in the paint by averaging 39% from the three-point line in addition to the figures above.
In a tweet confirming his decision to declare for the Draft on Thursday, Holmgren said: “It’s always been my dream to play in the NBA.”
Could Holmgren follow Suggs to Magic?
Franchises like the Detroit Pistons, the Houston Rockets, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers are best-placed to be in a position to pick Holmgren after the Draft Lottery, together with the team that may be the one to most watch out for: the Orlando Magic.
The reason? That’s where Jalen Suggs is - a player Holmgren coincided with at the Minnehaha Academy high school, and in whose footsteps he followed when he joined Gonzaga, encouraged by the point guard’s positive experience there.