PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland caught a break during the NCAA March Madness selection show. The city earned the right to host the No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga. With it, the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft Chet Holmgren got a chance to flash his skillset in a city he could well find himself playing in a matter of months.
I spent Thursday sitting courtside at Moda Center, squarely behind the day’s play-by-play announcers. It was quite the introduction to Holmgren and his other-wordly skillset.
His weight remains a hot-button topic, but his guard-like skillset is tantalizing.
On Thursday, he was utterly dominant, particularly in the second half of Gonzaga’s 93-72 win over Georgia State. The lankey 7-footer’s final boxscore: 19 points (8-of-13), 17 rebounds, five assists, seven blocks and two steals.
Here’s my play-by-play of the Holmgren experience.
Pregame:
I’ve never seen a prospect like this. He’s going back and forth between repetitions of his picturesque 3-point shot and windmill dunks in layup lines. He’s got a severe hunch, and it’s weirdly intimidating. He’s the player getting the most audible response from the crowd early on.
First half:
19:22: Boom. There it is. Second possession of the game and Andrew Nembhard finds a rolling Holmgren for an easy dunk and the game’s first points. That didn’t take long.
17:55: Holmgren gets pushed back slightly. He wasn’t put under the rim, but bumped just enough that his ridiculous wingspan couldn’t reach Georgia State’s layup attempt. He gets called for his first foul on the possession following. Georgia State is big for a mid-major, two legit 7-footers in the starting lineup. More size than Holmgren is likely used to seeing.
16:54: He just got triple teamed on the block and somehow still got up an attempt but fell just short.
16:21: No matter. From top of the key Holmgren delivers a dime to fellow big Drew Timme for a layup. Gonzaga is off to a slow start: 7-7 early. You can already feel Holmgren’s fingerprints will be all over this one though.
Holmgren was the first starter to check out. Don’t expect coach Mark Few to keep him on ice long. Zags have created no separation now 6-plus minutes into the game.
12:28: He’s back, and he immediately delivers another beautiful pass from the top of the key to Anton Watson for 2. His passing has been advertised before, but it’s truly a sight to behold in person.
11:08: Holmgren just got his first block of the game and had no right getting a hand on it. There’s that ungodly wingspan. After the block, he takes off down the court in an attempt to lead the break, then gets fouled in the midst of what looked like a euro-step.
10:37: I can’t tell if Holmgren got a finger on that layup or not, but it’s becoming clear how effective he is as a rim protector. His immense reach sets up a barricade around the rim.
9:24: He just took a contested 3-pointer from the top of the key and missed it, just barely. The shot is pure though so it’s hard to complain about the look, and the crowd loved the attempt.
6:32: Holmgren hauls down a tough offensive board then gets clearly fouled by multiple players. No call. He hucked a layup off the backboard. I wonder if his lack of size plays a part in non-calls like that.
On the other end, he makes up for it, swarms the ball handler and forces a jump ball.
5:21: Players clearly recognize his insane length. Georgia State guard had a wide open 3 and gave the ball up after Holmgren faints two steps in his direction with a hand up.
Holmgren promptly checks out for the second time. He’s got just 3 points, but has collected eight rebounds already and has a pair of assists. He and the Zags have yet to get things going offensively. They’re locked in a tight one: 25-25 with 3:56 to half.
2:50: Holmgren is ready to check back in. Zags need him badly. Georgia State just took a 4 point lead.
1:20: He just caught a backdoor lob from Timme. Holmgren tips it in. He shouldn’t have been able to get to it, but again, his wingspan allows him that luxury.
Second half:
19:47: Holmgren opens the half with a dunk, just like he began the game –– effortless.
15:57: Hereeeeeeeeeee’s Chet. Fierce denial at the rim for Holmgren. He’s skinny, maybe more so than I even expected, but he’s quite the competitor. He does a great job of avoiding any bullying down low. He holds his ground well despite his stature.
On offense, the fans have been robbed of some potential highlights. He’s had mismatches a few times in the post, but each time he’s been fouled in an attempt to back the defender down. It raises the question: before he reaches optimal weight (if that ever happens), what spot on the floor makes the most sense for him to operate from? I can’t get enough of his perimeter touches. Hasn’t done much with them yet, but you can tell the gears are turning and he’s comfortable being out there.
11:48: It’s been somewhat of a quiet half for Holmgren as he watches Timme go to work down low. He just made a nice play there though, maneuvered a crowded paint and used his second jump ability to corral a loose board and put it up for an and-1.
11:02: More Holmgren with the ball in his hands. He takes the opposing big man off the dribble, then initiates a spin move, only to kick it out to an open shooter for a 3-pointer. If I were Few right now, I’d let him take it from the top even more. Good things happened all game when he was the initiator.
The fans behind me have been debating his weight all game.
“He’s 190-pounds. Don’t let him back you down!”
“Kid’s gotta be 140 max.”
9:37: He just grabbed his game-high 15th rebound off a missed free throw. Fought off a pair of nagging defenders before tossing it back up for a bucket. Gonzaga fans are as loud as they’ve been this afternoon, and their team leads 66-58.
I was caught off guard when checking the stat sheet. Holmgren’s got six blocks. I expect him to block it each and every time down, but didn’t realize he’d gotten so many. A lot of them are finger tip blocks, likely a result of the range at which he attempts to swat shots.
5:54: This game was sewed up several minutes ago, but now Holmgren’s showing off. Dunk on one end, chase down block off the glass on the other, then back down again for a flashy layup.
He just outdid himself.
Seconds later, to cap off a 21-0 run, he pickpocketed the ball handler at midcourt and ran the distance for an and-1 dunk.
Closing thoughts:
He started off slow, but I’m impressed. He seems quiet, but he’s an intense competitor and made sure to spend time high-fiving fans and whatnot on his way out. Will be interesting to see his matchup Saturday with Memphis and fellow freshman center Jalen Duren.
Fans got nearly the full experience today. The only thing he didn’t flash much of was his shot from deep (0-for-2).
