Winning Rookie of the Year is more than just putting up numbers, it’s also making some plays that stick in voters’ minds.
Like Chet Holmgren throwing an alley-oop off the backboard to himself for a dunk — which is exactly what the Thunder big man did against the Clippers Thursday.
CHET OFF THE GLASS TO... CHET 🤯 https://t.co/PDEet2Wce8 pic.twitter.com/961LIo6WBv
— NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2023
That will stick with voters.
Holmgren is not just the early Rookie of the Year front-runner because of the numbers — 16.9 points, eight rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots a game, with a 63.5 true shooting percentage — it’s because he’s contributing to winning.
Winning like beating the Clippers and snapping their nine-game winning streak, which is what the Thunder did on Thursday night. The Thunder — rested and catching the Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back — got 31 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 23 from Holmgren to beat the Clippers 134-115.
Oklahoma City led almost the entire way and was in control in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles — playing without Kawhi Leonard for the first time this season — got 23 points from James Harden and 22 from Paul George.
