“I saw Dirk Nowitzki” Colin Cowherd believes Chet Holmgren is bound to succeed in the NBA
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Dirk Nowitzki and Chet Holmgren comparison made by Colin Cowherd
Chet Holmgren was a top-2 pick in the most recent draft night. Such high ranking pick always bring-in huge expectations and after his performance for the Oklahoma City Thunder to start the summer league games, Colin Cowherd believes he will likely succeed. The 20-year-old athlete played like a pro, making every possession count, and even on the defensive end, he was solid near the rim.
Chet Holmgren’s debut showed his potential to play against NBA-level competition, though it was just in the Summer-league games. He was a force against Utah Jazz, living up to the promises he made before the draft, while the second game was not much power, but impactful enough to say the least.
Chet Holmgren already had many eyes on him when he declared that “I am the best player in the NBA” even before getting drafted to the league. So, he was on a mission to make everyone agree with him, and he is on a hot start to the summer league. During a recent segment on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, analyst Colin Cowherd spoke about Holmgren’s similarities with the Mavs Grat Dirk Nowitzki, which truly is a huge compliment for a 7’1” star.
Colin Cowherd sees “some Dirk Nowitzki” in Chet Holmgren
Chet Holmgren did pull the one-legged Dirk fade-away basket – regarded as one of the un-guardable shots. While it was just that shot, which made his debut so special, it was his overall game performance, that drew a comparison from rather a shrewd analyst Colin Cowherd. The youngster ended game 1 with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 blocks. He was clinical from the range and dominated the paint area too. While in game 2, he had air share in the win with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Collin Cowherd said, “My takeaway is, I saw some Dirk Nowitzki. I do think he’s a unicorn, much like Zion. When I saw Zion in college, I said there’s a little Barkley, a little Karl Malone, but Zion’s nothing like I’ve ever seen. And when Zion was healthy, he put up Wilt numbers. And it is interesting. I watched him last night, and the knock on the scout is, he’s gonna have to settle for 3’s.”
Interestingly, Zion Williamson and Chet Holmgren are both opposites physically, Zion has more of a built-up body type, while Chet has a slimmer body frame. Still, Cowherd believes that Holmgren will succeed because of how the league changes.
Praising OKC’s top pick Collin Said, “I saw a little Dirk Nowitzki, but he’s taller. He may end up being able to handler the ball better. Dirk Nowitzki, often, could not get by defenders and was not strong physically, but was one of the great all-time scorers in league history.”
Dallas Mavericks NBA Champion Dirk Nowitzki was an everyday player comparison for Holmgren entering the league because both are lean players and had effective ball control. Both can also shoot from any range. If Holmgren can develop his game the same way that Nowitzki did, OKC would be lucky with the Gem at hand.
58-yers old analyst Colin Cowherd believes that the league is changing a lot, and a player like Holmgren can be even more successful with his shooting abilities. “It’s very hard for me to see Chet Holmgren not succeeding at some level. The sport is moving into him. You can afford to settle for 3’s. The NBA is filled with guys who can’t get a good shot unless you give him a screen.” Cowherd concluded on Holmgren’s potential.
While 2nd overall pick Holmgren can affect the game on both ends of the floor, he could be a valuable asset for the rebuilding OKC, where he won’t be having much of “Early career” pressure to deliver immediately.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)