Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren to miss entire 2022-23 season

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren will miss the entire 2022-23 season due to a Lisfranc injury sustained to his right foot. Holmgren was selected No. 2 overall in this year’s NBA draft.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed the news on Thursday. The 7′ tall center out of Gonzaga suffered the injury on Saturday while defending four-time MVP LeBron James during the CrawsOver Pro-Am League event in Seattle.

Thunder injury update. Statement from GM Sam Presti.

🔗 | https://t.co/Jiq9l6EY3W pic.twitter.com/SsGCFueT2q

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) August 25, 2022

Thunder G.M. Sam Presti released this statement: “Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season.”

“We know Chet has a long career ahead of him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community,” continued Presti. “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.”

Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren to miss entire 2022-23 season

While with the Thunder in the NBA 2K23 Summer League, in five games played, Holmgren averaged 14 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. His impact on the court was felt.

Other NBA players at the CrawsOver Pro-Am event include No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, Jayson Tatum, Aaron Gordon and Dejounte Murray.

However, the outside game was canceled in the second quarter due to questionable playing conditions. On Saturday, the temperature-high in Seattle was about 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

Though, the high humidity mixed with condensation on the court was hazardous to players. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a year to see Holmgren play his first official NBA game.

Injuries during meaningless games are not uncommon.

On July 1, the Gonzaga product sign a four-year, rookie-scale contract with the Thunder. He will make $9,891,240 in the 2022-23 season. Then, Holmgren is projected to earn $10,386,000 in the 2023-24 season.

The center has a 2024-25 team option worth $10,880,640 and another team option set at $13,731,368 in the 2025-26 season. Regardless, his future is secure.

In his freshman 2021-22 season at Gonzaga, Holmgren averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 3.7 blocks per game. He won WCC Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the WCC All-Freshman Team. Plus, Chet Holmgren was named to the All-WCC First Team.