In spite of the intense competition in the NBA, Chet Holmgren, a rookie with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is unfazed by it.
Prior to the game that will take place on Friday against the Miami Heat, Chet Holmgren held a meeting with the local media.
He strolled over to his media scrum with a black eye that was sparkling brightly, a cut on his nose, and as many bruises as he could possibly muster.
When the Thunder rookie was asked about it at shootaround, he responded, "That is life in the NBA for a big man." He continued by saying that he is not bothered by those circumstances.
To this point in my profession, I have not encountered anything that I have never seen before. Some of these unaimed shots are beyond your ability to control; they just kind of happen anyhow.
According to Holmgren, "it just kind of happens that you stick your nose in a play, it's the wrong place at the wrong time."
The rookie takes satisfaction in not ducking NBA big men's strikes "If you're trying to evade that, you're not focused on playing the game. It's part of being caught in crossfires."
Holmgren getting in the way of things on both ends of the court has helped the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has blocked shots, grabbed boards, caused put-back jams, and created open three-point shots.
It would be impossible for Oklahoma City to achieve a significant amount of success if the Gonzaga product were to be put in danger for an elbow that was not intended.
Throughout the course of this season, and ever since he took over as the Thunder's bench manager, Mark Daigneault has been on fire with demanding plays.
Holmgren knows what a skill it is for the team because he has been coaching in the G League longer than most NBA coaches and is used to the challenge system.
"It is a real team effort, but if we can challenge something that can make a positive play in our favour he is pretty aggressive with those and he will go challenge them at almost any time...it plays in our favour a lot," Holmgren said at the shootout.
Part of their success on challenges comes from Daigneault's trust in his players, who don't ask for challenges unless they're sure the green light will go their way.
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