“He’s the best 19-year-old shot blocker I’ve ever seen” - Mike Schmitz calls Gonzaga prospect Chet Holmgren a "true unicorn," compares him to Evan Mobley
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been one of college basketball's best teams all season, and freshman big man Chet Holmgren has led the way. The 7-foot center came into season the with serious hype, and Holmgren has started to see his play take off to another level.
After a pair of losses earlier in the year, second-ranked Gonzaga (17-2) is rolling. Holmgren's recent play maintained the attention of NBA scouts and basketball fans.
While breaking down the top prospects for the 2022 NBA draft, ESPN draft analyst Mike Schmitz gave Holmgren a ringing endorsement:
“He’s the best 19-year-old shot blocker I’ve ever seen.”
Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren continues to take the basketball world by storm
Throughout the ESPN segment, draft analyst Mike Schmitz talked about the dangerous versatility Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren has shown throughout his freshman year.
Schmitz even said Holmgren is the "best 19-year-old shot blocker I've ever seen." It's a statement sure to get the attention of fans as Holmgren has shown he's a force on defense all year. Schmitz compared Holmgren's defensive ability to Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley, who is widely considered to be the frontrunner for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.
With Holmgren's impressive combination of size, length and court awareness, the center has been one of the most dominant defenders in college basketball.
Coming into the season, Holmgren was expected to be the runaway favorite to be the first overall selection in the 2022 draft. But two other prospects have also impressed: Duke's Paolo Banchero and Auburn's Jabari Smith Jr. To that end, there is starting to be a debate over which player deserves to be the top pick.
Projected No. 1 pick Chet Holmgren went 4/6 for 3 last night, including one impressive pullup in transition after pushing off the glass. He's now shooting 46% for 3 (19/34 [56%] in his last ten games), and is ranked second among Top-100 prospects in 3P% despite standing 7-foot-1. https://t.co/Z3cByC2taR
Holmgren has started to catch fire lately and is reminding folks why he was the preseason favorite to be the top NBA prospect. In his last six games, Holmgren averaged 16.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while shooting 68.1%, including an eye-popping 65.0% from 3-point range.
On Thursday, Holmgren was named one of 10 candidates for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Smith and Banchero are also among those 10. Gonzaga's Drew Timme won the award last season.
Holmgren, the highest-rated recruit ever to sign with Gonzaga, averages 3.37 blocks per game (seventh in the nation), with 64 total.
Gonzaga played San Diego on Thursday night.