Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren has earned his status as a Rookie of the Year frontrunner, perhaps even the frontrunner ahead of San Antonio sensation Victor Wembanyama, and now he’s shooting up Defensive Player of the Year boards — where he slots behind only Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis at multiple sportsbooks.
He’s earned that, too.
After recording eight blocks on Saturday in an OKC win over Denver, Holmgren blocked another seven shots in a win over the Grizzlies on Monday. That makes Holmgren the first rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 to tally at least seven blocks in consecutive games.
The 15 blocks ties Holmgren with Serge Ibaka for the most in Thunder history over a two-game stretch. This volleyball spike on Jaren Jackson Jr. is making the social media rounds, and for good reason:
Holmgren ranks third in the league with 2.8 blocks per game. He’s tied with Victor Wembanyama for second in total blocks (71). He’s fifth in block percentage, per Cleaning the Glass, turning away 4.2 percent all shots attempted while he’s on the court.
Inside of six feet, opponents are making just 50.6% of their shots when defended by Holmgren, per NBA tracking data. That’s more than an 11% decline from the average conversion rate on such shots, and the stingiest mark in the league among all players who defend at least nine shots inside six feet per game.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault says the game is “slowing down” for Holmgren, who agrees that he is getting more comfortable as he gets more reps, which is natural. Holmgren also noted his specific defensive approaches to different players — meaning he is becoming increasingly prepared in terms of opponents’ tendencies and preferences and putting that information in play in his coverages.
This is how you win angles — little areas of ground that are the difference between a bucket and a block. But Holmgren also says he’s just being turned loosed more as a defender, which frees him to spread his impact even wider.
“Im doing different things on defense [than I was early in the season],” Holmgren said. “Initially, it was basically pick-and-roll coverage a hundred times a game. Now it’s that mixed in with playing the shell, mixed in with just flying around on transition possessions and just matching [up with] whoever is closest, especially against teams that are playing small or with shooters. I’m learning from every experience.”
Suffice to say, it’s working. The Thunder are a top-five defense and are surrendering four fewer points per 100 possessions than they did last season without Holmgren, per CTG. If this doesn’t add up to Holmgren being a legitimate DPOY candidate, I don’t know what will.