Thunder No.2 pick Chet Holmgren to miss entire season due to foot injury

As was feared, Chet Holmgren, the highly-touted No.2 pick of the Thunder out of Gonzaga, is lost for the season due to a foot injury suffered in a recent pro-am game, the team announced Thursday.

Holmgren suffered an injury to ligaments around the Lisfranc joint, a band of tissue that helps connect the long bones that form the toes (metatarsal bones) to the bones of the foot in the arch area. Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com described the area as the “lynchpin” of the foot, an area that is weight-bearing and helps stabilize the foot.

“Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season,” 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.”

Holmgren joins Blake Griffin and Joel Embiid on the list of big men who missed their first NBA season due to an injury (it’s not technically his rookie season, Holmgren will be eligible for Rookie of the Year the first season he does play, as Griffin was).

It’s a disappointment after Holmgren had a strong showing at Summer League, where he showed off his shooting touch, handles, and defense around the rim. He also found a natural chemistry with Josh Giddey, giving Thunder fans real hope for the future — and an entertaining team to watch this season. Now that is put on pause.

The injury appeared to happen during the “Crawsover” pro-am last weekend in