On Thursday, we learned of the Chet Holmgren injury that will sideline the No. 2 overall pick for the entire 2022-23 season.
Holmgren sustained a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, which may require surgery along with plenty of rest. Because of this, Oklahoma City’s new 7-foot prospect is already ruled out for the upcoming season, which is nearly two months away.
Oklahoma City Thunder 7-footer Chet Holmgren will miss the 2022-2023 season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot. Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, suffered the injury in a Pro-Am game in Seattle on Saturday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 25, 2022
Coming out of Gonzaga, there were questions surrounding Holmgren’s durability. I’m sure your uncle mentioned that the “kid needs to put some meat on his bones”. As it turns out, your uncle will have bragging rights for the next 12+ months.
How Did The Chet Holmgren Injury Happen?
Holmgren’s injury happened at a Pro-Am event in Seattle. The following tweet pinpoints the moment Holmgren came up limping:
Chet Holmgren has suffered ligament damage in his foot, per @ShamsCharania.
The OKC Thunder big man appeared to suffer the injury on this play at the Crawsover Pro-Am this past weekend.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 24, 2022
If you look closely, you’ll see that Holmgren was guarding LeBron James, who was making his way to the hoop on a fast break. The Twitter trolls are already after James (as if they ever let up), but this is clearly an accident with Holmgren stepping/landing awkwardly on his right foot.
What Does This Do For Future Pro-Am Events?
This ultimately begs the question: are Pro-Am events worth the injury risk? The NBA community has had lengthy debates about it, but NBA contributor Keith Smith chimed in with the voice of reason:
Beyond the injury itself, the crappy part of Chet Holmgren getting injured is that many are already screaming about "damn pro-am!"
Guys are playing somewhere all the time. This one just happened to be seen by a ton of people. Lots of guys get hurt in private runs. It happens.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 24, 2022
This Pro-Am event is a glorified scrimmage. Of course, Holmgren is going to be working out leading up to his first NBA season while seeing some live “gametime” reps. It could’ve happened in a controlled practice setting. Chalk it up to bad luck and not the event itself.
Chet Holmgren Injury Impacts NBA ROY Race
Holmgren had some of the best odds to win NBA Rookie of the Year this upcoming season. He was listed third in the opening numbers according to BetMGM:
- Paolo Banchero +300
- Jabari Smith Jr. +350
- Chet Holmgren +375
Holmgren’s odds improved as he put forth strong showings in the NBA Summer League. Bettors were rushing to wager their hard-earned dollars on Holmgren to win NBA Rookie of the Year.
In fact, as of July 6, BetMGM reported that 25.3% of all the money bet on this award supported Holmgren. That’s the highest of any rookie. It’s safe to say those tickets are worthless in the wake of this injury.
However, some sports betting operators are doing the right thing. Take DraftKings Sportsbook for instance:
Chet Holmgren is out for the season due to injury.
If you bet on him to win Rookie of the Year or Defensive Player of the Year, your bets will be refunded. pic.twitter.com/43JdJWFpte
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) August 25, 2022
Kudos to the team at DraftKings for doing the right thing. We can only hope that other sportsbooks follow suit.
Updated NBA Rookie Of The Year Odds
In the wake of Holmgren’s injury, here are the updated NBA Rookie of the Year odds from DraftKings Sportsbook:
- Paolo Banchero +200
- Keegan Murray +450
- Jabari Smith +600
- Jaden Ivey +700
- Bennedict Mathurin +1100
- Shaedon Sharpe +3000
- Johnny Davis +3300
- Dyson Daniels +3300
- Jaden Hardy +4000
As you can see, Banchero’s odds shortened in the top spot. Murray went from +600 to +450, and Jabari Smith is now in third.
Keep an eye on Jaden Ivey of the Detroit Pistons with +700 odds. He now has a legitimate contender out of his way, and you know the Purdue product will get plenty of chances to shine for the lowly Pistons. If Banchero has a mediocre season, then Ivey could reasonably step into the role of frontrunner.
