In the 98-77 win over the Utah Jazz, Holmgren wowed fans in his 24 minutes on the court, setting records as he went.
The big 20-year-old finished with 23 points – including 4 of 6 attempts from a three-point range – seven rebounds and four assists.
He also finished by six blocks, the most ever in an NBA summer league game.
According to ESPN, Holmgren became the first player in summer league history to score at least five blocks and hit four three-pointers.
Playing alongside a wide range of Thunder’s young talents – Josh Giddey, Alekesej Pokusevski, Jaylin Williams and Jalen Williams – Holmgren’s size and shooting ability stood out right away.
The seven-footed player from Gonzaga snapped the paint off his size and displayed some of the cunning offensive skills he’s already learned.
He dunked the ball emphatically to score his first points, hitting a three-point shot against a seven-foot-six-foot Taco Fall, and hitting a lackluster mid-range shot that bore an uncanny resemblance to NBA Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki.
“Shout out for this guy here,” he said, pointing at the Jedi. “A double double with assists. A great night for him and that helped me a lot.”
“Being such a high-choice, there’s a lot of pressure coming, and he handled it the best he could. He makes my job easy to play with someone like him. He can extend the ground, finish on the edge. He protects me, protects my back on the defensive end. So I love playing with him. It was one match, and the chemistry is getting stronger.”
The coaching staff at Thunder were also impressed by Holmgren’s debut performance.
“Obviously he had a great game, but the most impressive part for me was that he did it in our attacking line. It looked like basketball for a team there and he’s been successful in what we’re doing.”
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