New York (AFP) - Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren, the second pick in this year's NBA Draft, will miss the entire 2022-23 season with a right foot injury, the team said Thursday.
The 20-year-old American 7-footer (2.13m) appeared to hurt the Lisfranc joint in the middle of his foot last weekend while guarding LeBron James in a pro-am event at Seattle.
"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.
"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 a list of rookies with high expectations who missed what would have been their debut NBA seasons with injuries, including Cameroonian big man Joel Embiid and Australian guard Ben Simmons.
Holmgren was a college standout at Gonzaga last season, averaging 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots a game.
He played in summer leagues for the Thunder and was most impressive in Salt Lake City, averaging 17.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.0 blocked shots a game.
The Thunder have not won a playoff series since Kevin Durant departed for Golden State in 2016 and have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, going 24-58 in the 2021-22 campaign.
