Chet Holmgren seems poised for stardom

The highlight came when Holmgren blocked Nikola Jokic and followed up with a nasty dunk on the other end. Holmgren vastly outplayed Jokic, the reigning MVP considered by many to be the best player in the world, during the Thunder game. 102-87 win over the Nuggets.

Last season, Holmgren gave up SGA and Jalen Williams, the Thunder’s two leading scorers, and scored most of his points within the flow of the offense. That meant spotting three, cleaning the glass for kickback, or cutting to eliminate misdirections and screens.

This season, however, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault is making a concerted effort to run plays for Holmgren, who received plenty of touches around the rim on Thursday, finishing with 18 paint points. In comparison, the 7-foot-1 big man made only 2.3 field goals per game in the paint last season, with most of his shots around the restricted area coming from alley-oops or dunks.

Holmgren was also an absolute beast on defense. contesting 11 two-point shots for Denver at the rim and adding four blocks. To put things in perspective, no other player on either team made even six two-point shots.

It was evident that Holmgren did not shy away from contact on either end of the court. The 22-year-old attributed his new physique to the pounds he gained during the offseason.

All signs point to Holmgren rising to stardom this season. He’s almost a sure bet to make the All-Star team, and it will be a travesty if he doesn’t make an All-Defensive team.