"Do you believe in curses? - NBA analyst reacts to Chet Holmgren's foot injury, says the second pick spot might be cursed
The OKC Thunder's prized pick from this year's draft, Chet Holmgren, will miss the entire 2022-23 NBA season. Holmgren suffered an ankle injury during a pro-am game in Seattle over the weekend. Fox Sports' Doug Gottlieb reacted to Holmgren's injury and opined that the second overall spot in the draft is cursed.
The team announced on Thursday that Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot. A Lisfranc injury occurs in the middle part of the foot, affecting bones, ligaments, or both. Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti expressed his disappointment but is confident about Holmgren's recovery.
"Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season," Presit said.
"We know Chet has a long career ahead of him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community. One of the things that most impressed us during the process of selecting Chet was his determination and focus.
"We expect that same tenacity will carry him through this period of time as we work together and support him during his rehabilitation."
Chet Holmgren is expected to miss the 2022-2023 season with a Lisfranc injury in his right foot, per @wojespn https://t.co/NivaPnavzH
On a recent episode of "The Doug Gottlieb Show," Gottlieb discussed the possible curse of the second overall selection in the draft. He listed all the second picks since 2000, and pointed out that only a handful of players really lived up to their potential.
"Do you believe in curses? Here's the rub," Gottlieb said. "The number two pick in the NBA draft since 2000. Most of them, their careers, even the ones that went poorly despite their lofty expectations, were not due to injury. But the number two pick in the NBA draft is a dicey selection."
Since 2000, the only players who became stars were LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant, Victor Oladipo, D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram and Ja Morant. Tyson Chandler and Emeka Okafor were solid players, while the jury is still out on Lonzo Ball, James Wiseman and Jalen Green.
However, Jay Williams' career ended after a motorcycle accident. Darko Milicic flopped with the Pistons and never reached his potential. Jabari Parker was plagued with injuries and Marvin Bagley III was picked ahead of Luka Doncic and Trae Young.
When did Chet Holmgren suffered the injury?
Chet Holmgren suffered an injury last Saturday during a pro-am game in Seattle. Holmgren was defending LeBron James on the fast break when his foot slipped and was taken out of the game as a precaution.
Here's the play where Chet Holmgren got hurt tonight. He was guarding @KingJames one-on-one. It's hard to tell how he got hurt. He might have just stepped weirdly. @ChetHolmgren @thecrawsover #thunder https://t.co/AzUBYUgnyV
The 20-year-old prospect is not the first prospect to miss an entire season before playing an NBA game. Greg Oden, Blake Griffin, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were the top picks to miss their first NBA season due to injuries.
Chet Holmgren is also not the first second overall pick to suffer an injury in recent years. James Wiseman missed all of last season after injuring his right knee during his rookie campaign. Holmgren's injury also gives him the chance to improve his body and learn about the league sitting on the bench.