TBU Podcast Unscripted | Episode 3: Chet Holmgren | OKC Thunder

TBU Podcast Unscripted | Episode 3: Chet Holmgren | OKC Thunder

welcome into the Thunder basketball Universe today this podcast is all about Chad holgren the rookie who had quite an incredible first season played in every single game was just a monster on both ends of the floor and it’s incredible to think about when Chad started in summer league yeah and to see how he was still contributing and impacting the game in the Western Conference semi-finals Chad had an unbelievable season I think if you count those Summer League games because at end of season interviews Chad was very adamant that we uh recognize that he played 97 games this year if you count the preseason and the playoffs but I think if you count summer league he probably is up over 100 so there you go for the for the for the 12 month cycle Chad you hit the century mark nice congratulations and and you know that I I think was a it wasn’t a goal heading into the season for Chad but a point of Pride coming off of what he went through how lonely and and challenging that must have been um to go you know nearly 12 months without getting to really play live basketball um and to get himself from that point that we saw in summer league where even by his admission you know he had some things that he really needed to work out in terms of um you know spatial you know aspects of the floor and confidence uh to get to that point to the point that he got to uh in the playoffs where he is a massive Factor on both ends of the floor in high leverage situations really impressive impressive just goes to show how much he attacked that year headon and how he attacked this season as well all right let’s get into our stats of the season for for our friend Chad homr what’s your stat mine is 129 this feels like blocks it is not blocks but the thing that he does on the other end of the floor really well dunks shoot threes he also dunks dunks too he probably did too I think he did he did have 100 dunks because I feel like there was a stat where he was like the first player to have 100 Theses and 100 dunks on the season or something like that I picked 129 though because that is a thunder rookie record for most made threes in a season and you think for a guy who’s 7 foot one to be setting that record after you know 16 years of Thunder basketball that’s really impressive and I think as you know Mark dnel said in his end of season interview you know this is probably the lowest level of chat holgren that we’re going to see uh for a really really long time and so if he’s making that much of an impact over the course of the season from behind the three-point line now as a rookie you can only imagine with another summer of full um strength and conditioning training more time behind that NBA three-point line you can only imagine uh that that Marksmanship could even go to another level and it was so interesting to see how difficult Chad was putting defenses in just so many difficult binds and situations I mean teams had to really throw the kitchen sink just cuz jet could pop he could roll he has the vertical threat it’s like what do we want to take away and teams were getting a little creative this past season to try to slow down but obviously just incredible versatility that puts the Thunder at an advantage and and really helps the Thunder play the style of basketball and offense that they want to play having that fiveman out situation is what can allow Shay and jayd duub and all of those uh Cutters to make absolute Mayhem in the paint all right you chose an offensive stat I chose a defensive wow Chris fer would be so proud of you so proud somewhere he’s smiling 950 950 this is a deep cut I I’ve I I went on a little bit of a deep dive on this one I apologize 950 it’s that’s like a large number it is that’s quite quite large um I don’t know you’re going to have to tell me Paris this is the total number of contested shots oh that’s a good one by C I even have it here I was actually shock have that one but I brought this up because everyone wants to talk about blocks everyone wants to say well yeah he he’s out there swatting shots but it’s not just the shots that he blocks it’s the shots that he contests and he deters because the impact that he had around the rim and on the defense this season extends beyond the shots that he blocked and this 950 that’s second in the NBA behind just Brook Lopez that is the only person who had more than him this season it’s a perfect illustration of how impactful Chad was on the defensive end yeah I mean how many times do we see guys do those little exit ramp plays where they like driving right they’re like driving towards the rim and they just decide yeah I’m not doing that and of course you know you get a a contested shot on a block as well so those count too so all those times that uh you know Trey Murphy and Herb Jones and those guys tried to attack the rim during that first round playoff series uh from the pelicans and Chad denied them at the cup those counted as contests too but the other ones are the more invisible ones and as as the team always talks about you know defense is a lot about invisible work yeah and Chad is you know one of the guys at the Forefront of that for this team and I think the ratio for blocks to contests would be about one block for every 10 contests yeah so for there’s 10 total and 10 total contests deterred shots Miss shots that Chad impacted one of them’s a block yeah so that just that that paints the full full picture and also the shots that didn’t go up anyway just because guys are like never mind yeah I’m not going there idea yeah and and it kind of reminds you of how guys talk about cutting is like I might only get the ball one out of 10 times that I cut in the middle of the lane but I have to do it because that’s part of our offensive structure and that’s what helps keep the defense honest in a similar way that’s what chat’s doing with his defense and those uh contested shots is he’s helping the Thunder play the percentages that they need to play in order to tilt the math in their favor when it comes to contesting shots a beautiful numbers game for for jet Homen this season okay let’s get into made you look mine is jet hren was the fastest player in Thunder history to reach 1,000 career points and that took 59 games for him Russell Westbrook did it in I believe 65 games okay and or 64 something along those lines and in my brain I don’t know why this was so shocking to me because it I envisioned Chad as I know he’s out there scoring and doing great things but I think for him to be the fastest player to reach 1,000 speaks to just his offensive impact as well and the consistency because playing every single game helps that a lot definely being able to not just get to the rim and dunk the ball but also knock down threes is going to speed up that process as well and so I thought this was a really cool thing and it definitely kind of like made my made my eyes pop a little bit about jet season well I think it also helps kind of remind everyone this guy was the number two pick in the NBA draft in a really good draft and that uh you know there’s a reason why he was selected that high and it’s because he has the ability to impact the scoreboard in that way could Chad have gotten to a thousand points in you know two-thirds of that time yes but he was playing on a team also that was near or at the top of the Western Conference nearly that entire time that’s kind of what makes this even more impressive is that he was able to fit in seamlessly to what the Thunder wanted to do offensively be productive and efficient in that that’s actually the goal that Mark dnel and and Chad had for him at the beginning of the season was uh impactful and efficient and he was both of those things that stat that you laid out is is the exact epitome of that and that’s a really good point because a thousand points it wasn’t like a thousand shots he had to take to get those thousand points this man was just precise Precision efficient just so so cool to see that stat from Chad all right what made you look mine was the eight blocks that he had in Denver just you mean the block party he had in Denver yeah and just to confirm by the way Chad didn’t even take a thousand shots on the entire season so uh nice nicely done in terms of the efficiency standpoint uh but yeah Chad absolutely erased everything um that that night in Denver where he blocked Nicole jokic’s shot he blocked Aaron Gord shot he blocked contus CW pop shot he blocked J Jord shot he blocked everybody he he he got a little bit of something from the whole Buffet yeah and he was able to um erase things at the rim and and you know it was a little bit of that coming out party on the defensive end for Chad I mean he had obviously that massive game early in the season against Cleveland as well um but for him to have that type of impact once again against a team with a massive amount of size the defending Champions uh really impressive for him to go out there and do that I think I remember after that game in the press conference and we asked Chad about the blocks and he was like I I was just trying to make a play like he’s not out there hunting Blocks he’s not out there trying to rack up these numbers he’s really just trying to make the best basketball play and it happens that he’s seven feet tall with really long arms and can deter a shot after it leaves somebody’s hands and that’s what he was doing in that Denver game and also a great second jumper I mean and and incredible recovery skills how many of these blocks throughout the course of the season did we see where it was basically like a two-on-one on the backside the pass gets made and Jet’s the second guy off the ground but still able to reach the summit before you know the guy that he’s contesting is able to get up there this also could have been a ma you look for me and it goes hand inand with this for I believe probably 34s if not more maybe like 78% of the Season Chad had more blocks than personal fouls that’s right total that’s right for a rookie impossible a rookie which is a guy who has been blocking shots his entire life and career probably being the tallest guy on the floor in every game that he played in up leading up to the NBA to have that level of discipline and you know timing to be able to go up there and get a block and not rack up a bunch of fouls at the same time so impressive by the rookie yeah and and once again like he’s his ability to fit in schematically with what the Thunder wanted to do and every single player saying like we can play the way that we play defensively with aggression the turnovers that we’re able to force out on the perimeter because we know CAD is back there on the back line not just going after those shots but anchoring a defense by being in the right position time in and timeout that is so hard for a rookie to do so so tough so tough let’s get into our you can Shay that again nice what is the quote that you picked out from his end of season interview this is simple because Chad is a singularly focused human being he is a man with blinders on at all times and I mean that in the biggest compliment that I can possibly give I expect nothing less from myself than to you know work extremely hard and become a better player I don’t plan to come back next year as a worst player or an equal player I plan to come back uh you know better that’s chat to a te this guy is a just a bull when it comes to seeing obstacles in front of him knocking them over uh and you know moving on to next one and and everything that he sees is a red challenge in front of him of like I have got to get better we’ve heard Mark dangel talk about how exhausting it is to coach him sometimes because he is just a bottomless pit of wanting to improve and wanting to get better and wanting to do it as uh as best as he possibly can and as fast as he possibly can and so I am not surprised that that was where his mind was at even you know 24 hours removed from the end of the season uh basketball Junkie that is that is Chad Homen to a and just kind of insatiable when it comes to basketball knowledge getting better learning improving similar to what we talked about with Shay gildas Alexander same sort of mentality this guy’s always watching basketball typically when we talk to him he has a basketball in his hands during you know an interview of some sort he just loves competing loves everything that comes with competing do you remember I forget what part of the Season it was but Chad he had gone through it I mean he had two black eyes he had a nose he had a cut kind of on his face and he was just like yeah you know it comes with it it’s part of it and he was like didn’t sit out of game obviously and he was just I I think he just relishes in competing yeah and everything that comes with it he’s totally fine with it yeah I mean Chad is a warrior and he yeah I mean he Embraces that he wants to be that he feels like that’s um something that is a unique gift of his and he says he’s been like that since he was yeah kid he never wanted somebody to think that they could get one over on him is his words but we’re all just so excited to see um what that hard work turns into for Chad over the course of this year all right here’s my share that again for our friend chat home grin I wouldn’t like trade playing every game to sit out a couple to you know say I didn’t have to go through that you know I think it was all worth it this was Chad talking about playing in 97 total games this season not missing a single game and and he admittedly said you know especially during January with all of the travel The backto Backs yeah there were times where it was tough to show up and you know you don’t it necessarily have your aame but half the battle is just being there and giving whatever you have in the tank and that was my goal that’s what I did and he basically said I wouldn’t trade any of those days to sit out a couple I won all of it yeah and Paris I mean I think you and I both remember our first years working all 8 two games and we get to talk about the sport and you know do a little bit of writing here and there be on TV but that’s nothing compared to what these guys have to do and still I think we both remember probably what our first years of having to to go through all of that was like and the challenges that come from that and so for cat um to again not view that as a negative but to embrace that experience and I think that’s something that um if you’re in this industry you do is you’re like okay I had that experience and I’m stronger because of it and now I know next year yeah when I’m doing the all 82 again I’m going to be even better at doing the all 82 because I know how that feels I know how to regulate myself how to get myself prepared each day there were like we’re not even doing anything yeah and there were times where I would get up in the hotel and I wouldn’t even want to go walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes much less go play a full two-hour basketball game you know so massive massive kudos to Chad homr and to K Wallace as well both of those guys the entire season did not miss a single game all right let’s talk about what blessed our timeline from this season for Chad holgren mine is do you remember that night in Minnesota when the entire team got on a bus in like negative cold weather it was negative five or netive five freezing cold weather the night before they played the Timberwolves everybody shows up to mini haa Academy in this this packed you know high school gym to watch Chad get his jersey retired it brought tears to my eyes it was so cool to see so special and you just saw like the stream of Thunder players walking in as the the um varsity girls game was like finishing up and um you know it just it brings you back to some of these like memories of being uh playing in high school sports and the camaraderie that goes with that and to think that chat really is not that far removed from that just 3 years basically um or you know less at that point in time and so um very cool that all those guys came and showed up and and I think a great display of the connection that he’s built with his teammates even separated from them for large swats of his you know I guess true rookie year um to in this year as well where he was you know still technically a rookie and you know playing basketball for the first time for him to have built those relationships to the point where everyone was like yeah when’s the bus leaving is is massive yeah there it wasn’t a requirement it wasn’t mandatory it was just like hey Chad’s getting his jersey you retired everybody’s like we’ll be there yeah yeah just tell us yeah tell us when to be outside and please have the bus seat running exactly okay what uh blessed your timeline um this is uh Chet’s Twitter avatar for much of the year was just an amazing shot of kenri Williams um just looking like you know Denzel Washington in a in an action movie walking away from the camera this made me laugh so much because throughout this season when he had that Avatar it tricked me probably five to 10 times thinking does kenrich have a kenrich has an oh my gosh does he have a Twitter finally no it’s Chad I think Al I think it was like and then as the season evolved Chad actually changed that Avatar to an amazing uh UNC photo of Mark dnel caught like scratching his eye or something like that I don’t know but um anyway I just thought like yet again like Chad’s understanding of the culture of the Thunder organization it’s something that he said at the when he first got drafted is like this place felt like the right place for me and understanding like kenri Williams as this cult figure even within the Thunder locker room is a guy that you just you rever kenrich Williams um as he’s still getting to know kenrich Williams I think was like really um on point and I think also a reflection of where kend where Chad’s values lie because I think he sees in kenrich what we all see in kenrich uh is a guy that is No Nonsense you know has some blinders on as well just like Chad does um in in terms of a focus on being the best teammate that he can possibly be once again showcasing the connectedness and togetherness of this team but also Chad’s kind of funny too Oh’s Chad’s hilarious and that’s what all of these guys in in their end of season interviews just talked about how easy it is to joke with each other and I think Chad using kenrich as his Twitter Avatar speaks fully of that yeah also uh I think we did some sleuthing and we found out the two of us Chad was the very first Barker oh my gosh it was jet it was Chad that’s right we were trying to figure out the origins of the bark and we assumed that it was Jay dub right but then I was like it wasn’t it Jay will but then we go to the first barking interview we had to go to the video we went to caucus we went to the film we went to the film The replay Center and it was determined uh after review that jet Homen was the first mark on an Aaron Wiggins walk-off interview in San Antonio right just amazing that’s the my gosh who would have thought and I mean Chad was the guy who started the the rallying everybody in the postgame interviews he started doing that during summer league yeah his very first summer league in fact right getting everybody involved from the very outset that Chad hom grin all right let’s give you um just a quick peek into what you can expect from Chad during the off season he’ll be in the gym yep yeah yeah so that’s where you can find him um and that’s that’s all of our update on be this summer his his words exactly were I love the off season things you do not hear very often from guys offseason is a grind it is grueling guys are getting after it they’re working hard but he said I love the offseason I love working out I love pickup so you can expect he will be getting into all of those things and it’s so exciting to see to to just think about what he’ll look like coming into his sophomore season yeah Chad Homen in year 2 is quite quite a thing to to Marvel at and think about yeah that is right a lot to look forward to from this rookie Chad hren that wraps up our podcast thank you so much for watching and listening be sure to like rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcast thank you so much to our producer Matt bishop and until next time Thunder up and catch you later

Ep. 3 – Unscripted: Chet Holmgren

In this edition of Unscripted, the TBU crew looks back on Chet’s first season and his factor on both sides of the floor, along with his impact from the 3-point line, ability to space the floor, presence on defense, Rookie milestones, blocking shots without fouling, willingness to learn, resiliency and more.

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