Chet Holmgren injury update: Thunder rookie out entire 2022-23 season after hurting right foot at Pro-Am

Chet Holmgren, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, will miss the entire 2022-23 season, the team announced Thursday. Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot.

“Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “We know Chet has a long career aead 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.”

Holmgren was playing at Jamal Crawford’s “The Crawsover Pro-Am” in Seattle last weekend and at one point went up to defend LeBron James at the rim. He appeared to land awkwardly and was limping as he tried to make his way back down the court. He left the game after that play and a short time later the entire event was called off due to condensation on the court. (His injury did not seem to be related to the court issue.)

This is obviously disappointing news for both him and the Thunder. Holmgren impressed on both ends of the floor during Summer League action in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, which generated even more excitement for his eventual NBA debut.

In his first game in Salt Lake City, he dropped 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and six blocks; over three games in Vegas he averaged 12 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.3 steals and two blocks. Sure, you can only read so much into Summer League stats, but his ability to impact the game in so many different ways was exactly why the Thunder were eager to make him the second overall pick. 

Heading into the draft, one of the few concerns about Holmgren was in regards to his body. Many had questions about how his spindly, 7-foot, 195-pound body would hold up to the rigors of the professional game. Some may use this injury as proof that they were right, but it’s worth noting this was a fluke play and landing on someone’s foot under the basket can happen to anyone.