Chet Holmgren describes harrowing year after Lisfranc injury

After being taken with the No.2 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, Chet Holmgren had his rookie year delayed due to injury. While playing in a pro-am, he suffered a foot injury that would take a full 12 months to recover from.

Since returning to action, Holmren has been one of the top rookies in the league this season. His impactful two-way play is a big reason why the OKC Thunder are near the top of the Western Conference standings. However, the young center doesn't forget how quickly things got derailed last year.

While sitting down on "The Woj Pod," Chet Holmgren discussed what it was like going through that elongated recovery period. He said that the lonliness was tough given all the change he was going through at the time.

"Loneliness is a good word that describes somewhat of the situation," Holmgren said. "You certainly feel disconnected, disconnected from the team, from a lot of people. I was there in a new city trying to get acclimated to everything, on top of that I am not traveling with the team now, I have to take doctor visits, and I have surgery and this and that."

"So it was a lot of time I just spent on my own and just focus on what I had to do, and ultimately get back to you know, being able to help my teammates out there on the court. Been a lot of not-fun days, but I knew what I had to do and I feel like I executed it as best as I could possibly could, to get to where I am now."

This season, Holmgren is averaging 16.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

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Chet Holmgren living up to "unicorn" hype

Coming out of Gonzaga, there was a lot of hype around Chet Holmgren. Many wanted to see if his thin frame would hold up against NBA athletes. While it took an extra year to see, he has managed to silence his critics.

Rebounding has been a weakness for the OKC Thunder, but Holmgren has still held his own at the center position. He's been one of the top defensive bigs in the league this year, and is among the league leaders in blocks per game.

Along with turning heads with his defensive skills, Holmgren has also impressed on the other end of the floor. Earlier this year, he etched his name in the history books. Still with a month to go in the season, the Thunder big man because the first player with 150+ blocks, 150+ assists and 100+ threes in a season.

Holmgren has been an effective floor spacer for OKC, converting 38.5% of his three-pointers on over four attempts per game.

As the year comes to a close, Chet Holmgren is in a neck-and-neck battle for Rookie of the Year. He and Victor Wembanyama continue to prove they are some of the top young talents in the NBA right now.