No 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren to miss entire NBA season with foot injury

Chet Holmgren, the No 2 overall pick in this year’s draft will miss the entirety of the upcoming NBA season because of a Lisfranc injury to his right foot.

“Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season,” Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “We know Chet has a long career ahead of him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community. One of the things that most impressed us during the process of selecting Chet was his determination and focus. We expect that same tenacity will carry him through this period of time as we work together and support him during his rehabilitation.”

The 20-year-old suffered the injury while defending LeBron James during a pro-am game in Seattle on Saturday. The game was canceled in the second quarter after humid conditions made the court slippery.

Holmgren can play power forward or center and was a college star at Gonzaga. There were some who expressed concern about how his 7ft 1in, 196lb frame would hold up in the NBA, but he had performed well in the Summer League and was expected to be in the running for rookie of the year this season.