Thunder's Chet Holmgren Says He Talked to Joel Embiid About Recovery from Foot Injury

Few people in NBA history know better about overcoming foot injuries early in one's career than Joel Embiid, so Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren is turning to the Philadelphia 76ers star for advice.

According to Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press, Holmgren has spoken with Embiid about the recovery process after the Thunder big man suffered a right foot injury during a pro-am game that required surgery and will keep him out for the season.

"What I'm trying to do right now is just kind of soak up all the knowledge of how things are done around here, how they're going to be done going forward," Holmgren said. "So when I'm ready to get back in there, I can just kind of seamlessly plug myself in."

Embiid is an ideal source to soak up knowledge from, as he missed the first two seasons of his career with foot injuries after the 76ers selected him with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft.

The Kansas product overcame that early adversity and is now one of the best players in the NBA with a resume that includes a scoring title, four All-NBA selections, five All-Star nods and three All-Defensive selections.

He was an MVP candidate last season and finished with averages of 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

While it may be unrealistic to expect Holmgren to turn into the type of player that Embiid is, the Thunder surely envision him as a franchise cornerstone after selecting him with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft.

The foot injury, which occurred when he was guarding LeBron James, was a setback, but he is now committing to watching film while he is sidelined as a way to improve:

"It just comes down to putting my mental energy towards it, learning how to really be a professional in areas off the court. I've dedicated so much time to really hustling at my craft on the court. Now, this event is making me step back and kind of rework how I do things. And one of those ways is to become professional with watching film and speaking with coaches, trying to learn, watching what's happening and really being engaged, in trying to get better with different avenues."

Improving his knowledge of the game is about all he can do while he is out, and talking to Embiid is certainly a part of those efforts.