What will be the impact of Chet Holmgren's season-ending foot injury?
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Thursday that the No. 2 pick of this year's NBA draft will miss his entire first campaign as a pro after suffering a Lisfranc injury to his right foot while playing in the CrawsOver Pro-Am event on Saturday.
Although Holmgren's untimely injury costs him a chance to play and Thunder fans the chance to see their franchise's highest draft pick since taking Kevin Durant at No. 2 before moving to Oklahoma City, the track record of other top picks sidelined by injury during their first season suggests it shouldn't be a major detriment to his development.
Playing without Holmgren could, however, affect the Thunder's outlook for the coming season. Without him, Oklahoma City becomes more likely to spend another year battling for lottery position despite having a handful of core players already in place.
Additionally, the high visibility and timing of Holmgren's injury might change how NBA teams treat offseason pro-am competitions, which have grown increasingly popular in recent years. Let's break down the many implications.
A star-studded precedent for Holmgren's injury
With Holmgren due to miss his entire first NBA season to injury -- notably not his rookie season, since he'll retain eligibility to win Rookie of the Year in 2023-24 -- he joins a star-studded list of top-three picks to do so since 2007.
