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Chet Holmgren · Although he wasn’t necessarily willing to play into the hype of the highly-anticipated clash between last season’s Rookie of the Year finalists, Chet Holmgren left one message clear from the opening jump on October 30, 2024. The San Antonio Spurs’ talented bigs — just like the rest of the NBA — had better prepare, in more ways than one, for his Year Two leap. Versatile enough to cover multiple positions within a span of seconds, Oklahoma City’s star big instinctively peels from the perimeter to the paint, racing to shut the door entirely on an alley-oop attempt for Victor Wembanyama. Summoning the energy to make the type of “second effort” play that makes defenses elite, Holmgren readies himself for another swat, extending to send Jeremy Sochan’s fruitless layup attempt in the opposite direction. Holmgren’s opening-game defensive sequence turned out to be a tonesetter in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s dominant, near-wire-to-wire victory, moving them to 4-0 during 2024-25’s just-beginning season. Reaching out to make an impact everywhere, Holmgren contributed 19 points (on 7-of-10 shooting), five rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks, and three 3-pointers. · State of Mint