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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The 7’1 center for the OKC Thunder had a rough start last season with his year-long injury. However, now the giant is back in the arena with his masterful sense of the art of defensive verticality.

The No. 2 NBA draft starting the summer league had to go through a rough start initially. However, the center is picking up on every game. After exchanging jerseys with the Warriors’ point guard, Chet also received some recognition from Chef in the post-game media interaction.

Stephen Curry recognizes the 21-year-old rookie for his offense

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After registering a controversial win against the OKC Thunder, Stephen Curry had a media interaction. While acknowledging that the rookie has a well-carved skill set, Curry threw in some words of praise for the Thunder’s center. Curry said, “He is challenging ’cause he really wants to. As he goes after, he puts himself in a position to make those plays…Offensively, he is ridiculously talented. And he is a tough cover for bigs.”

Steph added, “The jersey we swapped and the history we have, he crossed me up at my own camp.” Despite being an elite defender, Chet Holmgren is all over the headlines for his offensive play. With his 7’6 wingspan, he uses his instincts to position himself to the team’s advantage. It’s an open secret that Chet now has his hands on the most powerful shot-blocking strategy. By keeping these blocks in bounds, thus leading to Thunder’s fast breaks, Chet might lead the team to the conference finals this year.

However, the vertical approach resorted to by Holmgren might increase the likelihood of being called for fouls. The one thing worth mentioning is that although he might not be credited with many shot-blocking moves, even in the backdrop, he is still disrupting many potential scoring points for the defense.

Chet Holmgren in OKC vs. Warriors 

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With the Warriors winning the game 141-139, there were speculations of overtime by the last second of the fourth quarter. However, after turning the goaltending call against Josh Giddey, the Golden State Warriors were the clear winners.

Read More: What is the NBA’s Goaltending Violation – Was Josh Giddey Wrongfully Called for it in the Controversial Loss vs Warriors?

Holmgren was in the starting five tonight, scoring 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. With 7/9 field goals and 2/2 three-pointers, Chet dominated all four quarters. Keeping the score on par with the Warriors, both teams were standing at 139-139 by the approaching end of the fourth quarter.

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If you are still unsure of how the Warriors secured a win tonight, then have a glance at our special report. Stay tuned to learn more about goaltending in tonight’s match.