Oklahoma City has earned the reputation of being the NBA’s top destination for developing young star talent. Since the Thunder’s rebuild launched years ago, they have gotten their hands on numerous players with explosive potential. And over the past few years, multiple names have leaped into the limelight as potentially some of the league’s next wave of superstars.
OKC’s future starts with superstar point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is the leader of the bunch and the oldest of the core at a mere 26 years of age. Following suit are two of the league’s next potential superstars, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
The pair of draft classmates have seen their careers move in lockstep towards emerging stardom. Even though Holmgren sat out his first season, giving “J-Dub” a head start, both players are on a similar ascending trajectory.
Chet is viewed as a breakout candidate in 2024
After finishing as the Rookie of the Year runner-up a season ago, many concur that Holmgren would have been the undisputed winner of the award had there not been a towering force in San Antonio by the name of Victor Wembanyama.
Despite playing somewhat in the shadow of the rising Spurs superstar, Chet registered one of the best rookie seasons of the last decade, swatting 190 shots and sinking 129 3-pointers, both of which marked him among the top rookies in each category.
Bleacher Report put together a list of potential breakout candidates ahead of the 2024 season, and to the surprise of very few, the Thunder big man was an entry on the shortlist of the league’s next stars.
“Holmgren's accessory work is excellent, but he has the fluidity off the dribble to finish more complex attacks,” writes Dan Favale. “ He showed more than a few flashes of it last year—end-to-end takes, pump-and-drives, warp-speed back-to-basket fadeaways, hesitation dribbles, pull-ups, and push shots from mid-range, the list goes on. The Oklahoma City Thunder are now built to indulge the depth of his arsenal. Replacing Josh Giddey with Alex Caruso at once boosts the floor spacing and diminishes the ball dominance, both of which should result in Holmgren taking on more offensive responsibility.”
J-Dub is also next in line
Not to be outdone by his classmate, Williams, after showcasing an assortment of moves on offense and catapulting his scoring average to over 19, is destined to make a star-level leap in 2024.
Sharing some minutes in the backcourt with NBA MVP Finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last season, Jalen displayed impressive versatility and could become his team’s go-to scorer down the stretch of games. He also became an elite shooter — converting at better than 42% from 3-point range last season — and elite defender, Williams may be in the running for his first NBA All-Star nod next season.
Favale continued, “consider how much Williams broadened his offensive horizons in Year 2. Fewer than 10 percent of his three-point makes went unassisted as a rookie. That share exploded past 25 percent last season, a progression buoyed by a more frequent and nastier step-back jumper. J-Dub also significantly increased his volume as a pick-and-roll ball-handler (37 percent of his possessions, up from 26 percent) and driver (14.5 per 36 minutes, up from 11.3).”
The verdict
How about some healthy competition? Holmgren and Williams competing to edge ahead as the definitive second-star for the Thunder can help drive both players to some of their best performances.
Traditional wisdom would suggest that Holmgren is better positioned to assert himself as the No. 2 guy on the roster because of his status as a former second-overall pick and simply because he is a 7-footer with skills you can’t teach. He was a shot-blocking force on one end and a potent three-point scorer on the other end. If Chet can continue evolving as a shooter, it’ll add an impalpable dimension to the Thunder’s offense that teams would struggle to figure out.
OKC will rely on at least one of these two — Holmgren or Williams — to assemble a breakout campaign next season, as that may be the final gear in the franchise’s pursuit of reaching legitimate championship contender status.
Related: Chet hilariously replies to Hartenstein’s comments about him vs. SGA
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