OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren is going through the rehab process for the first time.
The No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA draft injured his right foot in a pro-am game in August while defending as LeBron James headed for the basket on a fast break. He had surgery and the Thunder ruled him out for the season.
“I’ve never had a serious injury in my life so I didn’t really know, I had nothing to base it on and compare it to,” Holmgren said Thursday. “So when it happened, I had to have it checked out and see how bad it was. I didn’t imagine anything like it.”
Holmgren, a 7-foot all-around player who had big moments during the summer league, is facing a sideline as the Thunder begin training camp this week.
“Definitely something I really had to think about and think about,” he said. “And kind of draw conclusions about things and really calm myself down so that I can kind of stop focusing on what happened and focus on what’s going to happen, what I need to do to make it happen. where I need to be.”
Even without training, he has already marked his teammates.
“He’s a great guy,” said guard Lu Dort. “I can already feel a connection with myself and the rest of the team. He’s also quite a vocal guy. He talks a lot and that’s good for the team.
Holmgren said his only training limitation is that he can’t put weight on the injured foot. So that forces him to focus on other aspects of the game. Coach Mark Daigneault said Holmgren is working hard on studying acting.
“It’s just about pouring my mental energy into it, learning to really be a professional in areas off the court,” Holmgren said. “I’ve spent so much time really shaking up my art on the court. Now this event is taking a step back and kind of reworking the way I do things. And one of those ways is to turn professional in watching movies and talking with coaches, trying to learn, watching what’s going on and being really engaged, trying to improve with different avenues.
Holmgren spoke with Joel Embiid about his injury. Embiid, the defending NBA champion, was the third pick in 2014 before missing his first two seasons with foot issues.
Holmgren hopes to recover as well as Embiid.
“What I’m trying to do right now is just soak up all the knowledge about how things are done here, how they’re going to be done in the future,” Holmgren said. “So when I’m ready to go back, I can just plug in seamlessly.”
Holmgren should be ready for the start of next season. He said he tried to keep his thoughts positive.
“It all comes down to keeping a cool head because there are so many ups and downs,” he said. “Unfortunately it’s a down. But I have to keep a cool head and focus on improving myself. And no matter the circumstances, that’s the goal.
Daigneault believes Holmgren’s mindset will yield positive results.
“We would like him to be here,” Daigneault said. “But since he’s not, we’re definitely going to make a lot of investments, and what makes me most optimistic about that is the approach he’s taking.”