Chet Holmgren report card: Recapping Thunder rookie's spectacular 2023-24 season

Editor’s note: Over the next three weeks, The Oklahoman will publish a series of report cards on each of the Thunder’s 15 main roster players. Grades will be curved relative to role and expectations. First up in the series, rookie center Chet Holmgren.

Chet Holmgren was worth the wait.

After missing all of last season recovering from a Lisfranc injury in his right foot, the Thunder center was one of two rookies to play in all 82 games. The other? Thunder teammate Cason Wallace.

Holmgren ranked first among rookies in total minutes, fourth in field goal percentage (53%), eighth in 3-point percentage (37%) and seventh in free-throw percentage (79.3%).

Holmgren averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Among rookies, Holmgren trailed only San Antonio’s Victor Wembanynama and Charlotte’s Brandon Miller in scoring. Holmgren was second behind Wembanyama in rebounds and blocks.

Wembanyama was the unanimous Rookie of the Year, but Holmgren would’ve been a worthy winner more years than not.

The 7-foot-1 and 208 pound-Holmgren transformed the Thunder’s fourth-ranked defense with his elite rim protection. His 190 blocks were the most by a Thunder player in a single season since Serge Ibaka blocked 219 shots in 2013-14.

Through the semifinal round, Holmgren led all players in the playoffs with 2.5 blocks per game.

Blocks alone don’t measure his defensive impact. For as many shots he swatted, there were dozens more he deterred from ever being attempted.

Holmgren had an excellent playoff debut on the defensive end, but his offensive numbers dipped across the board despite playing five more minutes per game in the postseason than he did in the regular season.

He shot 49.6% from the field, including 26% from 3-point range in 10 playoff games.

“I expect nothing less from myself than to work extremely hard and become a better player,” Holmgren said in his exit interview. “I don’t plan to come back next year as a worse player or an equal player. I plan to come back better in many areas.”

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Chet Holmgren by the numbers

82: It can’t be overstated how promising of a year it was for Holmgren from a health standpoint. Holmgren, Wallace and Russell Westbrook are the only three rookies in Thunder history to play 82 games. Holmgren’s 2,413 total minutes ranked second on the Thunder behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

5.3: Among Thunder starters, Holmgren had the best net rating in OKC’s six-game series loss to Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals. The Thunder outscored the Mavericks by 5.3 points per 100 possessions when Holmgren was on the floor.

36: Holmgren scored a career-high 36 points Nov. 18 at the Warriors. Holmgren swished a turnaround 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime in an eventual Thunder win.

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Chet Holmgren offseason homework

Holmgren improved as a rebounder over the course of his rookie season. He averaged 7.6 rebounds per game before the All-Star break and 8.5 after the break (despite averaging two fewer minutes per game after the break).

He should take another step as a sophomore.

Among players who played in at least 50 games, Holmgren ranked 27th in rebounding percentage (13.2%) — the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while on the floor. He doesn’t need to be Andre Drummond (25.7%), but even an incremental improvement would go a long way.

This will be Holmgren’s first full NBA offseason in which he’s fully healthy. Working on his body should naturally help him develop into a better rebounder.

“This is, in my opinion, the lowest level of Chet Holmgren we’re going to see, which is pretty exciting,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said in his exit interview. “And the reason I’m so confident saying that is because of his appetite for improvement. He’s a guy that is incredibly focused. Basketball is his No. 1 priority. He sleeps in his sneakers. He will have a great summer physically and skill-wise.”

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Chet Holmgren grade: A

And closer to an A+ than an A-.

As revealed Monday, Holmgren and Wembanyama were the only two unanimous All Rookie first-teamers.

Holmgren, who just turned 22, is on an All-Star trajectory, and he’s already cemented himself as one third of the Thunder’s Big Three.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chet Holmgren report card: OKC Thunder rookie shined in 2023-24 season