Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Injured Chet Holmgren 'Wants to Prove Himself to the World'

Despite missing the 2022-23 NBA season with a Lisfranc injury, 2022 second overall pick Chet Holmgren has made an impact on his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 31.1 points and was named to his first All-Star Game in 2022-23, praised Holmgren for his determination during the team's exit interviews.

Holmgren is projected to play next season and was seen dunking in March. He will be eligible for the Rookie of the Year Award despite being drafted in 2022.

Holmgren likely suffered the injury during a Jamal Crawford CrawsOver Pro-Am game in August and was ruled out for the season just days later. The pro-am game was stopped early because of unsafe court conditions. He had participated in the NBA Summer League before the injury.

Holmgren was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2021, per 247Sports, and played one season at Gonzaga before declaring for the draft. He averaged 14.1 points and 9.9 rebounds in 31 games for the Zags and led them to the Sweet 16 in the 2021-22 NCAA tournament.

The Thunder entered the Western Conference play-in tournament in ninth place and were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves. They haven't reached the playoffs since 2019-20.