Holmgren's return for Thunder a little rusty to start but positive overall - ESPN

SALT LAKE CITY — Chet Holmgren showed signs of rust during his first game in 11 months as well as plenty of glimpses of his potential to make an immediate impact for the Oklahoma City Thunder in his upcoming, delayed rookie season.

Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft who then missed the entire season due to a right foot injury that required surgery, had 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks during the Thunder's 95-85 win over the Utah Jazz in Monday's Salt Lake City Summer League opener.

The game did not get off to a pretty start for Holmgren, the 7-footer who suffered a Lisfranc injury during a Seattle pro-am contest during his last game appearance in August. He went scoreless in the first quarter, airballing a finger roll and badly missing a couple of turnaround jumpers, as well as dribbling the ball off his foot and out of bounds.

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«The last thing I wanted to do was come out here and be timid, so I wanted to come out of the gates and be aggressive and look to impact the game,» Holmgren said. «Obviously with that, you can make mistakes or miss shots, and that's part of the game. Whether you've just played a hundred straight games without missing one or missed the whole season, mistakes come with the game, and I just got to learn from them.»

Holmgren found his rhythm in the second quarter, when he scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and he displayed his unique skill set for a player his size the remainder of the game. He missed his lone 3-point attempt but