Last week, there was an incredible amount of excitement over a Seattle CrawsOver pro-am game due to the number of NBA stars that had agreed to take part.
Two such stars were Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James and highly touted rookie Chet Holmgren.
The game was unfortunately cut short due to the court conditions but not before Holmgren was forced to leave the game due to injury. The injury occurred during a routine play when he was trying to defend James as the four-time MVP drove to the basket.
The play where Chet got hurt pic.twitter.com/uXlymMhK2N
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) August 24, 2022
Now, the fear is that Holmgren may have suffered some form of ligament damage on the play.
There’s fear Oklahoma City Thunder No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren has suffered ligament damage in his foot and he is undergoing further opinions, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 24, 2022
Ligament damage can mean a lot of different things, and it can lead to either short rehabs or incredibly drawn out periods of rehab. Nothing will really be known about the extent of the injury or what kind of recovery time will be needed until further tests are done.
What is known, however, is that it is never good news when a young big man like Holmgren deals with lower-body injuries. Knee and foot injuries have seriously impacted the careers of some of the most talented big men in NBA history. Players like Bill Walton and Greg Oden come to mind.
Hopefully, that is nothing close to what Holmgren is dealing with right now, but it is worrisome that he suffered some kind of ailment after just a little bit of basketball that was close to the NBA level.
One of the major concerns around Holmgren prior to the 2022 NBA Draft was whether his incredibly long and thin body would be able to deal with the wear and tear that comes with NBA ball.
In high school and college, he was almost always the biggest player on the court. That will be very different once he starts playing in NBA games. The small sample size of his play in the recent pro-am game was proof of that fact.
Surely, Oklahoma City Thunder employees and fans are waiting for more news on this story with bated breath. Hopefully, all the tests come back negative and Holmgren can continue to prepare for his rookie season.
