OKC Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren joins exclusive club with record-setting blocks number

CLEVELAND — Chet Holmgren had zero blocks in his NBA debut. Two nights later, Holmgren set the Thunder rookie record by blocking seven shots.

Holmgren said his performance in Chicago was “unacceptable.” But what he did in Cleveland was exceptional.

“Seven blocks, it’s crazy,” teammate Lu Dort said.

After the game, Holmgren put an asterisk by that seven in the blocks column.

“Please go watch the tape and give me the correct (number) of blocks,” Holmgren posted after the game, tagging the NBA.

The post was lighthearted, and Holmgren laughed when asked how many blocks he thought he should’ve been credited for.

“I have no idea. It might be right, too. I think the NBA should do their due diligence because we’re on the road, that’s the Cavs stat people over there,” Holmgren deadpanned. “Just go check ‘em, and if you got it right, awesome.”

More: Here is the OKC Thunder's roster, player contracts entering 2023-24 NBA regular season

Holmgren not only blocks shots, but he has an uncanny ability of keeping his blocks in play, giving the Thunder fastbreak chances.

He talks about shot blocking like it’s a science.

“If you’re coming from behind the ball, it’s either going off the backboard or out of bounds. But if you’re in front of the ball, and you can beat the ball before it leaves the dude’s hand, you basically palm it on either side,” he said, clapping his hands, “and then it drops straight down usually.

“If you have to get it in the air then it depends which way you tap it. I try to use my height and get my hand up where the ball is going so that I can time it up. A lot of times it will fall right in front of you or stay in play.”

Dort, one of the premier point-of-attack defenders in the NBA, isn’t afraid to funnel action toward Holmgren.

“It helps me, definitely, chasing all those screens knowing he’s at the rim,” Dort said. “Sometimes I just see him and I let the guy go because it’s gonna be tough for him to score over Chet. Chet does a great job of that. He’ll be there for his teammates.”

Here’s a closer look at Holmgren’s night in Cleveland by the numbers:

10: Holmgren became the 10th player in NBA history to block seven shots and make three 3-pointers in the same game. He joined Brook Lopez (four times), Kevin Durant, Kristaps Porzingis, Myles Turner, Jaren Jackson Jr., DeMarcus Cousins, Raef LaFrentz, Chris Boucher and Eddie Griffin. Jackson was the only other to do it as a rookie.

8: Holmgren is one of eight active players to have a seven-block game in their rookie season. Nerlens Noel, Mitchell Robinson, Jerami Grant, Bismack Biyombo, Kristaps Porzingis, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler are the others. Kessler had four seven-block games last season with the Jazz.

15: Manute Bol (1985-86) holds the rookie record for most blocks in a game with 15. Bol averaged a career-high 5.0 blocks per game as a rookie.

32: Holmgren’s 16-point, 13-rebound, seven-block night was just the 32nd game in NBA history — and the first Thunder game — in which a rookie put up those numbers.

6: Aleksej Pokusevski held the Thunder’s previous rookie record for blocks (six) in a game.

11: Serge Ibaka holds the Thunder record for blocks in a game (11). Ibaka is the Thunder’s all-time leader in blocks with 1,300. Kevin Durant is a distant second with 564.

3: Only three Thunder players have blocked at least seven shots in a game: Holmgren, Ibaka and Moses Brown. Ibaka had 21 games of seven-plus blocks.

More: Who makes the OKC Thunder list for 15 best players in team history?

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder's Chet Holmgren joins exclusive list of NBA shot blockers