Chet Holmgren plays down Rookie of the Year aspirations: "My focus is on helping this team win"
Chet Holmgren, the 2022 No. 2 pick for the OKC Thunder, is widely considered a strong contender for the NBA's 2024 Rookie of the Year award. His impressive performance in the NBA Summer League following his recovery from a foot injury has fueled anticipation for his debut season with OKC. Despite the increased hype, Holmgren's focus remains steadfast on helping the team achieve success, rather than individual accolades.
During a recent interview with HoopsHype, Holmgren said that his main focus is on helping the Thunder win next season:
“My focus is on helping this team win games,” Holmgren said.
“Things like Rookie of the Year and everything else are not important, so I’m just focused on helping the team. Everything else follows the team’s success.”
Holmgren added that his goal is for the Thunder to make a playoff appearance next year:
“Our goal would be to do everything that we can to reach what we’re trying to reach (playoffs),” Holmgren said.
“And that’s going to start with Day 1 in training camp and putting in the work to be better each day, and hopefully if we continue to be better each day that puts us in a good spot.”
Despite missing a reliable big man in the previous season, the Thunder made a surprising appearance in the play-in tournament. Now, with a healthy Holmgren joining star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the young core, the team is positioned for further improvement.
Holmgren averaged 12.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 3.5 blocks per game on 40.9% shooting over two Utah Summer League games.
He then averaged 20.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg, and 3.5 bpg on 56.0% shooting over two Las Vegas Summer League games.
Watch: Generations collide as Kevin Durant and Chet Holmgren go head to head
Chet Holmgren on hype surrounding Victor Wembanyama
During his interview with HoopsHype, Chet Holmgren was also asked about his thoughts on Victor Wembanyama. Holmgren gave a very brief response regarding the French phenom, simply saying that Wembanyama is deserving of the hype that he is receiving. Holmgren added that he is looking forward to playing against Wembanyama next season:
“Great player, very deserving of the attention he’s getting,” Holmgren said.
“It’ll be fun to be able to match up against him.”