The OTHER rookie unicorn
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- čas přidán 6. 11. 2023
- Chet Holmgren is a 7-foot shot blocker who does everything on offense, and he's racing Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama for the 2024 Rookie of the year. This detailed film breakdown & scouting report explores how the Thunder rookie big man is using his 7-foot-6 wingspan to lead their defense, while playing an integral role in their modern, position-less offense.
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Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
Music by Fairlight (Detour in Velour)
#ThinkingBasketball - Sport
Really excited to watch Chet and Wemby face off for years to come. Hopefully they can both stay healthy can fulfill their potential to become truly unseen talents in the NBA.
lol chet has lost every time 🤣
If things go well they could be the next Bird and Magic type of rivalry.
@@RichOffKsno he hasn’t you’re delusional .
Not the same. Not close. What separates Vic is his balance. Offensively these big guys have the advantage getting to the spots they’ve practiced a million times s before.
The separating factor is how balanced they are at a reactionary position. On defense Vic is balanced enough to recover like a wing. Chet is going to get injured again trying to defend NBA talent
i'm more impressed with holmgren than wemby. the latter is height and a decent spot shooter. the former is that AND ALSO a better playmaker/facilitator. he plays point, handles well, passes well, good eye, good moves. good analysis.
Perfect fit for OKC, much needed rim presence, solid rebounder and obviously good floor spacer
still not on DominAyton level tho
@@norpriest521lol
@@norpriest521 still not on Kai "GOAT" Jones level tho
Dude would fit with any team 😂.
Good passer
Chet has been on the bench for the last year of a solid NBA team. He may not have played, but he seems like a smart, competitive guy who took his rehab and learning seriously. He fits in so well with OKC and can be as great as he wants to be.
Agreed. It's like a when a qb sits on the bench a year to learn and is way more prepared in year 2
2nd pick for a reason. Hes no bum.
Tell that to James Wiseman. That dude needs help @@lukamagicgod
But then again, he's showed that he's capable of the things he's showing now in college so I don't think being earlier in the NBA has anything to do with that...
@@ryu-kenmahomes esque
I've never been excited about 2 rookies the way I am with Chet & Wemby. These two kids are the future of basketball. And what makes it even more exciting is their competitiveness. They both play like they want to be the best!
And there is still a chances that Jabbari Smith will improve and so we could see 3 big unicorns 🦄 🦄 🦄
How can you be so clear about this? Wasn't luka more exciting or others? Are these really different?
Reminds me when Melo and LeBron were rookies
@@trevorgreene9820Exactly, Melo was 1year older, in a better team, so his efficiency was better, but Lebron averaged more assists and you could just tell who had that « it » factor, and it was Lebron ..
And same with Chet, he play with a Top 10 player in the name of SGA, probably the 3rd best PG after Luka and Curry, and he also has great passer like Giddey, and elite defenders like Dort ..
Wemby doesn’t have any of that, except a better coach, so his shot quality isn’t nearly as good, the spacing is often horrible, and he doesn’t even play the 5 i think that’s the biggest mistake they are waisting his rim protection when you have him guarding Scottie Barnes, Obbi Toppin or Grant Williams, i understand if it’s KD, Lebron, Giannis or Zion, because 1 can shoot over any player except Wemby easily and the other 3 score most of their points at the rim, but against every other PF i think you’re waisting Wemby’s biggest strenght, his rim protection, because i’d rather see Sochan, or even Keldon or Vassel on Scottie Barnes or Obbi Topin than Wemby.
I know Pop is experimenting right now, and Zach Collins is a good Center, but Wemby should play Center his impact would be much bigger
@@Anthonydu01630 he for sure would be better utilized on defense as a rim protector but I believe the spurs are playing him at the 4 right now because the task that comes from playing the 5 like taking hard bumps and defending phisychal players might be too much for him rn, prolly gonna need to bulk up a little before he takes that step. Also I believe it is safer in therms of injury prevention
I love Chet. He's a dog, too. Anyone who plays both ends with that kind of energy deserves massive respect.
How does OKC draft KD....and then Chet. They look like mirror images of each other. Thin framed. Tall. Narrow shoulder widths....like the Amish KD
i think the seatle sonics drafted KD
@@jlui21 To be fair KD fell into Presti's lap because the Blazers wanted Greg Oden that badly. Much like how Chet fell to the Thunder in 2022 because the Magic needed a more established 3 level scorer to anchor their team.
@@aoldatabase548 still sam presti though the same guy who drafted chet
his motor makes me think that evolve in a Antetokoumpo like player with a 3pt shot is not of the relm of possibility
Love the labeling at 2:53 of Chet's role changing during the course of a single possession. Underscores Mike Prada's point in Spaced Out that players often play all five possessions on individual possessions in the modern NBA
I think a good parallel for Chet and Wemby could potentially be Duncan and Shaq. Duncan had flashy moments but was high efficiency and a player that created regular season and playoff wins for two decades. He was a great passer, shooter, and post defender but never had to be high volume to influence winning. Shaq on the other hand was a freak athletic specimen that the Earth will never see again. His peak was insanely dominant with no effective counters to his moves. His dominance broke the game in a number of ways and influenced how the league constructed rosters and lineups. His peak was not as long and the rest of his career was inconsistent. Chet and Wemby would be lucky to come close to the dominance that those two inflicted upon the league, but I see parallels in terms of their current play styles and influence on their teams.
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
I'm an old timer...i think I like Walton/Jabbar as a better parallel.
Tall Allen Iverson vs Tall Magic
I feel a major part of his game so far can be attributed to Mark Daignault's offensive scheme. He utilizes his personnel so well and is able to hide their weaknesses as well as just about any other coach in the league. Chet's talent is undeniable but Daignault feels like a major COTY candidate and is showing why OKC ownership has trusted him through and beyond the tanking phase.
Chet's ability to shoot, drive and paint protection matches perfectly with OKC's system. He might not be "the system" like Wemby, but he is the missing piece of their system. Can't wait for their playoff run!!
the whole staff is awesome
Why they losing then? They aren't like unstoppable
@@blablablaa14 still learning how to win consistently. A lot of new pieces to gel. Looking to be more consistent on offense and defense. From till January the schedule is really tough as well so I wanna see how they look in the second half of the season.
I just don't see where they get so much better than last year. Chet helps, but SGA is kinda tapped at top 10 player, Jalen doesn't seem to have space with Chet to take more of the load than what he does now. Giddey is playing horrific, and still looks like a guy who doesn't fit. Realistically I just don't see how they move toward that top 4 spots that you'd want them to be in before the new contracts start coming down the pipe. They still have a ton of options but long term I am not sure this exact core works@@asergebs4852
i haven't been this excited about an NBA season in over a decade.
Surely hope both wemby and chet will be as good as they are hyped to be and free of injuries. The league will be much more exciting to see more talented players once the current faces of the league (curry, bron, kd, etc) retires.
I was worried about us picking him but I watched him in person against the warriors last week and he is going to be GREAT
he went OFF against the warriors. no doubt he has hof potential from what I saw in that game
I thought he should've went 1 at the time but that top 3 players all seemed had arguments as 1 picks when the draft happened
He was the consensus 1, the rockets are just stupid as hell lmao.
Very nice work highlighting Chet's game so far. I really like that he blocks the ball with a purpose ( keeps it in play for a fast break ). He can be a point center too.
You can see in the shooting section as well; he can trail the offense and test the waters, and a lot of time his defender will lurk in the paint and wait for him to arrive, and he'll just take spot up threes instead. Forcing the big man on the other team to play the perimeter on every play just opens up so much for his teammates, and vise versa. Gorgeous.
Need a breakdown on Scottie Barnes' recent play since your video from his rookie year!
it’s kinda wild how coincidentally wemby and chet literally have the magic/bird storyline going for them - two rookies with immense skill on display off rip, one who just got drafted and the other drafted a year earlier, ofc the white/black (and unique to them american/european) dichotomy, and to top it all off some qualities that make them both not only incredibly unique but sometimes almost identical. they are unfair, and i hope they achieve all the success that they look destined to achieve.
Great breakdown...This entire OKC team has crazy potential as a young team...
This is one of the cleanest analyses I've listened to. You've earned a sub. The breakdown of Chet in OKC's positionless system was spot on.
He got that dawg in him
Amazing work as always Ben!
As an OKC fan, I'm astounded how well Chet has fit into the starting 5, and just how skilled he is as a rookie. It's brilliant.
was really waiting on this video!!!!
Chet "Thundersticks" Holmgren 😭🔥
It's really nice to see two big men with proper fundamentals to play under the basket, while still being able to help on other tasks such as shooting and defense.
Let’s goooo. Another great breakdown
It was posted 1 minute before your post
Wish you’d touched more on some of his shortcomings like allowing offensive rebounds and strength but very good video. OKC is fun
Love the content. Don't even watch the regular season or most of the post season but really interesting analysis
Great Video Again , Always great . Man , I want to request a video about "Why Jordan Poole played bad last year for the Warriors" because it has been on my mind lately that maybe it was the Punch from Draymond but I can't help to think that maybe its because teams adjusted to his playstyle and countered him. I want to see the breakdown and the difference on how they defended him in 2022 playoffs and the 2023 playoffs. Or maybe it was his decision making that changed? , hope you see this . Keep up the good work always , so proud of what you accomplished.
OKC vs Spurs rivalry is one for the ages.
Great hoops content my g
This dude has extreme potential, and the rivalry with wemby is best thing could happen to the leauge
So excited to see how Chet and Wemby develop, really hope they can stay healthy. Chet appears to be more well-rounded than Wemby, but Wemby could have the higher ceiling considering the 2 year age diff and Wemby's ridiculously freakish frame. Going to be a real fun decade or two!
Another awesome breakdown of IMO this year's ROTY Chet Holmgren. Just love his game in terms of offensive versatility & defensive presence 🏀🌩️💯
This might be the best time to watch the NBA since the late 90s, in my very subjective personal opinion.
I agree, if they would just stop with the soft foul shit it could really be a hot next decade.
Imagine both of them on the same team in their second contract. It is crazy that they could both play at the same time on the court and still run a fast paced spread offense.
I love both Wemby and Chet for what their potential would bring to the future of NBA. Right now I prefer watching Chet's game who's more in controlled and smart as a rookie; whereas Wemby's game feels like an NBA2K MC player who's eager to showcase his prowess but lack the game knowledge to translate the impact into wins, as reflected by their respective efficiency, BPM and VORP. That being said, their immense potential plus healthy team environment make me super thrilled to witness greatness in progress, just like people who grow up watching Bird/Magic, Jordan, Kobe, Lebron, Curry, etc..
bro chet got shai so it opens up more when you got arguably a top 10 player in your team
Okc is a more built team. Spurs were a lottery team, with only 1 playmaking guard.
To be fair Chet had a year to soak this all in, has two years of age on Wemby, and OK is actually... A decent team. The Spurs are still in the middle of a rebuild and the utter lack of a playmaker is painful to watch. The Spurs team is a 30 win team MAYBE with Wemby. They're just bad. I'd expect him to be more raw.
@@Setixir yeah you're right you can't just simply compare these two because they got different circumstances chet can feed off shai's gravity but wemby got a burden of being a franchise player
That's the perfect way to describe Wemby currently lol
at this moment, with 8 games, played Chet is putting up 16.8 pts, 8 reb with 2.5 blocks and 57.5% FG, 55.6% 3PT and 90% FT. That efficiency is literally INSANE
Looks like a great NBA season this year.
As an OKC fan I stopped watching basketball a lot after Russ and PG left and OKC was a left with no star players, but guys like Chet and Shai make me excited to follow the NBA again. And guys like Chet and Wemby make me excited to watch the NBA again.
hyped!
Hoping Chet vs. Wemby becomes a seriously competitive rivalry.
chet is good but he will never be better than wemby
chet's game is nice. he'll be great for years to come
lmao Zion hustling with the close out at 6:13
Do a video on Ausar Thompson
“Traveling isn’t really a thing anymore” is such an underrated comment cuz it’s so true lmao
Damn at 4:11 I didn't realise he was that fast, really looked like how KD moves out there, impressive!
I feel like a lot of chats production and efficiency can be tied to the fact that he is a beneficiary of a lot of high-level play makers and a great offensive system
Meanwhile Wemby is basically fighting an uphill battle without nearly as much talent around him and teammates who look like they are actively avoiding passing of the ball at times. It's insane to think that Wemby could be averaging 25+ right now with more willing/competent passers. If I ever see Vassell or Sochan look him off again when he has Kyrie sealed in the post my head might explode
I mean, at the same time, Wemby is also getting 5 more shot attempts up per game, 50% more than Chet. Chet might be getting better looks in total, but he's getting fewer of them as a result of having other offensive pieces on his team.
not really. Look the guards havent been great yet besides Shai. Giddey especially has been god awful. The majority of his stuff is self created off the catch like you see now. Rarely gets a lob. Its self created or a catch and shoot 3.
i think he is just a more mature player, his shot form looks very natural and his handles are very fluid, while wembanyama is somewhat inconsistent with both... but his physical gifts make up for it. i think their production is very much in line of what should be expected from their play styles, role and experience.
@@blazefactor6849 fair point. Not trying to knock him as I think he's been exceptional. I just wanna see an unlocked Wemby with teammates and a system that embrace his unique skillset
@@zay914Shai is... A top ten player in the NBA or very very close to it. That alone is a drastic difference compare to whatever the hell the Spurs have trotting out. The Spurs team is really bad. Which is fine, they're in a rebuild, but they're bad. OKC isn't as close to as bad team wise.
Goodjob
The Chet VS. Wemby debate is gonna be WILDIN 😭😂🔥🔥 💪💪
all these guys are Toni Kukoč 's children, although Tony never played center, but he had this combination of height, mobility, passing and shooting.
Needless to say, i love Toni Kukoč.
The spot lights on Wemby 4 sure. But Chets a beast him self. Them 2 are making basketball great again.
I honestly love Sam presti and our organization. Great time to be a thunder fan
i love seeing chet play it is incredible to see him do all the things he does. Chet may not be wemby height but she is still like a 2k created player a 7'1 shot blocking defensive playmaking 3 point shooting rebounding paint beast. He is hims. Chet is the furutre of the NBA.
Your channel is the only one I watch for basketball and I've been a fan of the sport for 25 yrs! I hope u don't get swooped up by a NBA team like the other channel I watched... (coach Daniel) 😉
League is in good hands w Chet and Wemby and all the other young stars but these 2 rooks are special man...
Nah the way you broke down that double screen to a catch n shoot is crazy
As a basketball fan, I am just hoping that both of the big fellas (chet and wemby) can stay healthy. I dont want to be robbed of watching them battle it out.
I wonder if the future of the game is just gonna be seven footers who can do everything on the court
Only so many though. But every team would be better with one.
It does make me wonder if we could see the return of handchecking
The skillset favors a big to play like a wing with all the spacing the NBA deals with the modern game. Thing is not every big will be able to put it together like Jokic does. Though I do think the role of a tall 3&D has to be re-evaluated because there have been bigs who have come out and flash the shooting of a wing with some help defense/rim protection prowess. But in some cases they don't offer much else. Which is why essentially they are just tall 3&D players like KP whom Ben described perfectly well.
Chet has been awesome, all-star level player as a rookie
Capela vs Chet was a game I didn’t know I needed
I love talking Chet 😂
Chet is awesome
I love how when they talk about offensive skill they show the person carrying the ball.
This is a redshirt rookie season for Chet. Even though he didnt play last season he was still around NBA coaches, trainers, nutritionists and players all year. That makes a difference.
The Thunder video before this on how they got multiple ball handlers doing PnRs is a good setup for this Chet video. Chet can run those inverted PnRs himself but he will be instrumental to guys like Shai/Jalen Williams/Giddey who can play screen actions/hand offs with him and make himself the catch and shoot target. The biggest asset I feel in the long run is the transition offense starter. He'll benefit having teammates who can box out for him consistently so every defensive rebound is infused offense. His vision as a half court passer will probably take a little longer so until he can make those skip passes automatic, I welcome his turnovers trying to make difficult but high reward passes. Also he seems to be comfy playing the drop and with a lineup that is switchable, he won't necessarily have to take bump and runs from bigs who want to mismatch against him. Its even alright if guards will blow by him because some tall wing will be under the hoop anyway to defend and Chet has the length to recover and track the ball at the rim. So here is hoping that both Chet and Wemby can play at least 2/3rds of the season healthy.
Whether it's age/experience or having to fit into a system, Chet does seem like the more polished player of the two for now. By that I mean, he has less wasted motion and more deliberate moves, rebounds, and passes. Wembanyama is already more skilled, but is clearly still learning the NBA and how he fits into that. He has been getting tired in games quite a bit (which honestly just makes his 4th quarter output all the more impressive) because his brain is telling him to do everything at once. Yes, Victor, you can contest a 3 while standing in the paint when the pass is made, but running at full speed, jumping as high as you can, and stretching your long body out as far as it will go is not something you can reasonably do 20 times a game while also running the floor, shouldering the offense, and blocking shots at the rim. Chet's role is as confined or as open as it needs to be, so he's picking up great, and consistent, numbers within the flow of the game.
I'm already so invested in this rivalry and I love it haha
Thought this vid was about Ausar Thompson when I saw the title
Chet is almost 2 years older and was able to put on some weight and be around the NBA life for a year. He SHOULD be a little ahead of Wemby, That being said both are gonna have incredible careers.
Most important thing you said is that traveling isn't a thing anymore. This center situation is only happening for 2 reasons. First, there is no handchecking and physical defense allowed anymore. In previous generations he would not have been able to be a PG, because he'd gotten ripped by a guard. A 7'0 guy can only dribble this much because of the soft defensive rules. Second is due to the no call traveling. This kid and Wemby are traveling all over the court. If we still had the rules from the 80s, 90s, 2000s and dudes were doing this, that would be amazing. But in this league today, it's just taking advantage of the arcade style rules of the current, soft, offense only era. Bring back simulation basketball.
@thinkingbasketball the play at 5:41 looks like Jalen Johnson would have intercepted that pass down low. Correct pass should be out to the 3, maybe Giddey
Grateful to be an Okc fan 😂
94 ' 95' was last co rookie of the year. It would be sweet. I know we're far away from that day. Hope both ball out and stay injury free 💯
Very impressed with Chet and Okc offense so far. Hopefully josh can get it going but he's still making an impact. I wish other teams can have such of an offense like the Lakers. Okc can only go up from here.
This battle of efficiency/Record vs stats
Chet is in a great team and he fits into the team so well. OKC needs a big vet and a couple of shooters to be a threat in the west. Chet basketball IQ is off the charts.
Wemby makes the Spurs a good team. The non Wemby minutes are a struggle.
Super exciting to see two future great players.
may he stay healthy all the way. the most unicornest of the unicorns
At 1:45, he blocked the ball but was holding on to the rim during the block. Is that a basket interference call? Curious to hear the ruling on this.
I feel like if that's going to become something of consistency with these 7 foot bigs there might be some rule tinkering
you're allowed to touch the rim as long as the ball isn't in the cylinder, and it doesn't impact the shot
@@jackdaniels1367 You aren't allowed to grab the rim an block the ball tho that's what Chet did.
@@SenorAzazel can you reference which part of rule 11 prohibits it? Closest thing I see is part G "Touch the ball at any time with a hand which is through the basket ring" but I wouldn't really consider his hand to be through the ring
I wouldn't say these two are the most unicorns of unicorns EVER, but hopefully they are first ones to stay healthy. Can't forget Ralph Sampson, the OG unicorn.
Chet has a better feel for the game currently than Wembanyama, all of his movements are just so smooth and well thought out. Wemby still looks lost every once in awhile.
@@escoboi1da944 Exactly dont know why the NBA categorize him as a rookie he is no rookie. Wemby is still learning the NBA game which Chet had a full season of learning from the vets in the lockroom which the rest of the rookies did not get that advantage.
The difference between Chet and Wemby.
Chet has that dawg in him.
Tf? Wemby already dawged the Suns twice and the Warriors. Plus Wemby abused Chet in their first meeting
exactly! one note, His blocks are recoverable unlike Lebron that wants to send a message by slapping the air out of a ball, it creates fast breaks, very nice!
If both go well, I wonder if this'll be the latest co-ROY season since Grant Hill & Jason Kidd?
"The other unicorn" seems like an oxymoron.
Love your videos ❤
OKC has such a beautiful offense coming together
He is older than Wemby, significantly older relative to being rookies. That is why Wemby has higher ceiling. But as of this season, Wemby and Chet are virtually same tier.
Who’s here after dude just made a buzzer beater 3 against GS for OT and the win 👀👀
Can we have a video about the other teams in the 90s? During MJs 6-0 run. How good were they?
Past big men had these abilities. The game wasn't played that way, nor were they allowed. New dawn,day,and game. Feel'n good.
(commenting on the title before I watch) well, yes Chet is ahead of Wemby. He has had an entire year of NBA exposure. He's a red-shirt rookie.
Jinx! We made the same noise at the 4 minute mark
Holy smokes, he travels every time he brings the ball up court
Wemby's been getting all the hype, but Chet's had the better start to his career so far and I don't know why people aren't more excited about this guy. OKC has been a lot of fun to watch this year.
because chet is 7'1" and that's been normal height for centers. wemby is listed as 7'4 but he is taller than that. plus if you will look at how they move individually, wemby is an overly tall wing player and chet is a big man with good handles.
C'mon man Chet gets plenty of hype
Chet has projected to be a superstar since high school
@@lordkaiser1404that’s a pretty dumb explanation because he’s 3 inches taller. Wemby is clumsy with the ball he shouldn’t be turning over the ball like hes a guard. It’s a bad look and his efficiency is horrible
@@KiarRushingChet has a year in the system. Even if he was on the bench that still helps. Wemby is a 19 year old kid still growing into his body. He should be more raw.
On top of that the Spurs team is just bad. It's so bad. It's a 30 win team at most with Wemby and probably a 20 or so without him. Truly horrible. No real starting quality point guard and no other playmaker.
Chet has Shai and the rest of OKC is actually a well constructed team. Not to take away from Chet, he's playing super well, but with context he should be performing better than Wemby. He has every advantage.
@@KiarRushing wemby isn't really 7'4" he is closer to 7'6".. he is faking his height like kevin durant..
There’s a play where Chet closes out on a shooter, in response the offense immediately swings the ball all the way to the right corner just for Chet to already be there
Breakdown of JrueHoliday Defense please 🙏
The O.G. 🦄 Magic Johnson was a 6'9 Point Guard in a PF body and could defend almost anyone.
Chet had a year of NBA development already.
We need a video on the t-wolves defense this year
hahahahh, that intro clip where trey young just moves to the side to let chett get passed
🐐 #Thunderup
Right before you mentioned his wingspan I was looking at him running down the court thinking damn his arms are crazily long...lol
I'm 6'7" but my arms are not very long, one of my friends who was like 6'4" could reach a good 5" higher than me...
this is what basketball should be, max flex so everyone can fill whatever gaps open up. no BS hyper specific roles that limit your potential.
Can you please talk about Bol Bol and why he not became an unicorn too?
If remember correctly, he played good in the first half of last season on Magic uniform
Bol has good highlights but just doesn’t play within any sort of team structure. He’s 7’2 and is effective in the paint but all he wants to do is pretend he’s KD and play iso ball on the perimeter