"I was extremely disappointed tonight in Chet Holmgren" - Skip Bayless gives Gonzaga superstar a dressing down after his underwhelming performance against Memphis
Chet Holmgren and the Gonzaga Bulldogs beat Jalen Duren and the Memphis Tigers to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament.
But Skip Bayless was not impressed with the performance. In fact, Bayless was disappointed in the lack of physicality and aggressiveness from the potential number one overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Coming off a double-double in his previous game, Chet Holmgren was off to a strong start in the NCAA tournament. He would have been hoping to keep the momentum going against the Memphis Tigers and Jalen Duren. The Gonzaga Bulldogs would go on to win the game, but the high-profile clash between Holmgren and Duren did not live up to the same hype.
Holmgren and Duren were below their season averages and had significantly worse performances than their first-round games. Both players were also in foul trouble at different points in the game.
Holmgren fouled out to end the game while Duren ended the game with four fouls. This led Bayless to criticize their performance.
I was extremely disappointed tonight in Chet Holmgren. I've thought all season he should be the 1st pick in the draft. Now ... Just played too soft and nonaggressive. Got pushed around. Mostly watched on offense. He's a gifted shot-blocker but has to gain some muscle & toughness.
Skip Bayless' assessment of Holmgren being too soft and non-aggressive is an interesting take given the Bulldogs star spent most of the game in foul trouble. The Gonzaga Bulldogs center could have arguably been too aggressive, except for a flop when guarding Jalen Duren.
Despite the performance, Chet Holmgren and the Gonzaga Bulldogs were able to survive and advance in the NCAA tournament. Given that Skip Bayless was already uncertain about his pick of Gonzaga to win the national championship, his disappointment may make sense.
Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren in the NBA
Still, Holmgren did get pushed around some by the Memphis Tigers and could benefit from the addition of muscle depending on the role he plays in the NBA. As a talented shot-blocker, he may desire to be in the paint, but that may not work out in the long run.
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If Holmgren plays life as a traditional center in the NBA, other centers like Joel Embid and Nikola Jokic will get physical with him and force him to play with physicality. Holmgren could play a different position in the NBA, but his elite shot-blocking is somewhat lost if the Gonzaga center is not defending the paint.
Some see Chet Holmgren as a Keven Durant or Dirk Nowitski style of player at his best, but getting there will be complex if he cannot handle the standard level of NBA physicality.
Jalen Duren is an NBA-caliber power forward, and he was able to get physical enough with Holmgren to create problems. So an elite NBA power forward or center could present more problems for Holmgren.