Oklahoma City Thunder rookie that has yet to play a game, Chet Holmgren, has been ruled out for the entire 2022-23 season due to a Lisfranc injury to his right foot.
Initial reports said Holmgren has “potential” torn ligaments in his right foot, but after further evaluation, Holmgren’s injury is as close to a worst-case scenario as possible.
A statement from general manager Sam Presti
“Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season,” Presti 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.”
The injury seems to have stemmed from a pro-am game he appeared in, hosted by Jamal Crawford at Seattle Pacific University on Saturday. Holmgren was defending Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James in transition, landed awkwardly, and limped around before being taken out of the game.
The game later stopped due to the court being slippery.
“I had to make the decision to stop the game to protect the players,” Crawford said on Twitter of canceling a game that also featured NBA All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Dejounte Murray. “Tough, but right decision.”
Thunder fans were looking forward to what Holmgren had to offer this season because of his unicorn-like style of play. During the Las Vegas and Salt Lake City summer league games, Holmgren averaged 14 points, shooting 48% from the field, 42% from three, 94% from the free throw line, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 steals in 26.2 minutes per game for the Thunder.
The skill is there, with him being able to do a little bit of everything, but his lean frame is throwing some off because of reasons like these. Hopefully, Chet will be on the court again better than ever.
