Chet Holmgren Has A Chance To Become The First White American To Be Drafted No.1 Overall Since 1977

Crazy this is KD outweighs Chet by damn near 50 pounds at 6-10, 240.

Hell Steph almost weighs as much as Chet at 6-3. 

Giannis is not a Center...He's a stretch 3 /4...Chet and Greek freek's game is nowhere comparable...Chet is a center...he will not play the 4 in the NBA...

@begginerboy

 I do agree with your assessment of winning a title. It has always been known as the will to win. Not just physically but mentally as well. Today in the 4 major sports there are a few willing to go all in. Back in the day the games were much more physical. 

Due to rule changes and protecting investments meaning players the games have changed. Butkus picking up Tarkenton and pile driving him into the turf. Laimbeer throwing elbows all day long. Rose knocking Fosse to his knees. Domi dropping the gloves against anybody. 

Skill and finesse are the new game. 

@Eddy_Winslow

 Shawn Bradley.

https://www.si.com/nba/2022/01/12/shawn-bradley-details-bike-accident-paralyzed-sports-illustrated

@packersbackers

 What's up, bro. Hope as is well. I've been wanting to give you a proper response but hadn't had the time. Was in the Bay on business plus the parade, etc, so most ove my covers intersction has been more or less limited to one or two sentence comments and responses.

First off, I will agree that Chet has potential bust written all over him. I would not target him at #1. And frankly, any pick in the top 5 should be considered a gamble. A "Hey, if this kid develops into a generational talent, let's not kick ourselves the next twenty years for letting him pass. I think Orlando and the Knicks are the two teams in the first round that need a bigger than just basketball pick. They need a potential face of the franchise player they can sell to their fanbase. Maybe you can include Oklahoma City in that, considering they had three such players and none wanted to stay but I think most teams right now simply need a player that can help them win games.

Let me say that I am not bullish on Chet. I have followed him on YouTube since his sophomore, and maybe even his freshman year. When I first saw him, I worried that I was looking at a kid that wouldn't live past 30. More on that later.  I thought he was a side show act. As he aged, I gained respect for his game. He is more coordinated than you would think to look at him. Stronger than you would think too. Shoots decently for a guy of his stature,  but not great. Can put it on the floor decently for a guy of his stature, but again, not great. I think he would be better served playing one, if not two more years of college hoop to develop his body. Here is my hang up. I'm not sure if he can develop his body. Like I said, I have followed him since he was an underclassmen in high school and he does not seem to put on weight/develop muscle. He looks as if he has Marfan Syndrome or some glandular issue that causes giant size. He does come from a tall father but it you look at his skeletal structure, long limbs, his muscle development, his muscle insertion points, his gaunt face, including around his eyes, I question if he will be able to put on the muscle mass it will take to compete in the NBA at a high level. As they say, the camera adds 10 pounds. There is some truth to this, some bullshite but I will say this, 16:9 ratio televisions "fill out" people when compared to old 4:3 tube TVs. I met KD at the Chase Center groundbreaking. He looked even thinner in person. Hoop players who look super bulky a la PJ Tucker look more like basketball players in real life. Let that sink it as it relates to Chet, and his 195 pounds.

I think people are wrong in listing him as a center. Those are people who read stat sheets and don't watch games. He listed as a center but Time was more of the center at Gonzaga with Chet being more of a stretch four who used his size to rim run and block shots. The Shawn Bradley comparison is unfair. He is more athletic that Shawn was. More coordinated. Quicker. Better handle, by far. Better shit, by far. Higher basketball IQ. I see him more of a Javale McGee with a better handle and shit, at this point. Rim runner. Shit blocker. Catch lobs. Not the focus of a team but a nice complimentary piece. I don't think a Javale McGee with better skills and possible upside warrants a top 5 pick.

@packersbackers

 Now to this take.

"This is all an attempt to legitimize the Gonzaga program as a new "blue blood" which is also laughable...put them in any power conference and they will consistently reveal themselves as a middle of the pack basketball school."

I don't know if there has ever been a team that got so much unnecessary slander, that fell so short of the credit and respect it deserves, than the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Guys that don't know a thing about hoop, and never watch Gonzaga, nor the conference all year (not you), love to talk about how they are overrated. About how they're a "white boy" team. About how they wouldn't last in a power 5 conference. I never understand these takes because there exists a such thing as non-conference play. There exist a thing called the NCAA tournament. Me can measure these things.

Just take the '20-'21 Zags. In non-conference play they:

Best Kansas by double digits 102-90

Trounced Auburn. 90-67

Best West Virginia 87-82

Beat Iowa by double digits 99-88

Trounced Virginia 98-75

In the NCAA tournament they:

Beat Oklahoma by 16, 87-71

Trounced Creighton 83-66

Trounced USC 85-66 (Remember the Pac-12 was the surprise of that tournament)

Best UCLA, in the Final Four, in OT 93-90

Then they play Baylor in the finals. The two wire to fire best teams in college hoop. And they laid an egg. Baylor played great. They were the better team that day, and probably all year. However I think if they run it 100 times, it would be close to a .500 split. However every body and their mama, after one loss the entire year, I the finals, to a really good team, everybody was like, "See, I told you. Paper Champs. Overrated. Can't hang with athletic teams. Woulda make it out of a power 5 conference."

Seriously? Their non-conference record spoke for itself.

The '21-'22 team was not as good with the lost of Kispert and star freshman Jalen Suggs.

They best Texas 86-74. Chet, 1-3, 0-0, 0-0, 5 reb, 2 blocks, 4PF, 2 points in his first real college game.

They best UCLA 83-63. Chet, better, 6-8, 2-4, 0-0, 6 reb, 4 blocks, 3PF, 15 points.

Lost to Duke 81-84. Chet, 8-13, 0-3, 1-2, 7 reb, 3 blocks, 3 PF, 16 points.

Lost to Alabama 82-91. Chet, 3-9, 0-4, 4-7, 11 reb, 4 blocks, 1 PF, 10 points.

Beat Texas Tech, 69-55. Chet, 1-4, 1-3, 2-2, 11 reb, 3 blocks, 4PF, 5 points.

They get to the tourney.

They come from behind to beat Memphis 82-78. Chet, 4-7, O-3, 1-3, 9 reb, 4 blocks, 5PF, 9 points.

They then lose in the sweet 16, to Arkansas 67-74. Chet, 5-9, 1-3, 0-2, 14 reb, 2 blocks, 5PF, 11 points.

This is what I took from that. He will need to improve his shooting to be effective in the NBA. He will have to get to the line and convert his free throws, shooting 50% on 16 attempts. He shot entirely too many threes, going 4-20, 20%. He was 73% on twos. He did tend to foul to the tune of 3.5 a game but what jumped out at me was 9 rebounds a game, 3.1 blocks. You can't teach length. You can't coach height.

Again, this is all against power 5 teams. And not just power 5 teams. All of their regular season non-conference opponents were NCAA tournament teams.

If Chet can put on weight, he can be a potential all-star. He has improvement to make but so does every kid in the drsft. His game is there. However, like I said before, I question if he even can gain much muscle. I think he has a genetic condition that prevents it.

KD was thin but still had more bulk than him. And KD's game was much more refined. KD has much more athleticism. More bounce. More explosiveness. KD was always more of a long, tall wing. I don't see Chet developing into KD. So if not a tall wing, he will be extremely limited by the development of his body as a 4/5.

I wouldn't draft Chet, even though I love the kid. If I was taking a flier on a extremely tall and long kid, I would tank for Victor Wembanyama as I believe his frame will fill out and support more muscle, at least to the extent of his countryman, Rudy Gobert. I see his ceiling as a more skilled Rudy Gobert. I see Chet as a more skilled, less athletic Jevale McGee. Huge difference. I hope I'm wrong about him, as I like the kid. Like I said before, I've been following his development on YouTube for years.

Hey I don't know if I'm stupid or something but Griffin wasn't #1 overall pick? He is American and white 

You're not stupid. Blake's mixed race. He's half-white. I had forgot that this thread started off about race and not just basketball.

Ben Simmons is also mixed, but is not American. Bargnani and Bogut are the last full white #1 picks but neither is American.

@StumpTownStu In regards to Gonzaga Bulldogs

 Outstanding commentary......

spot on!

Paolo Banchero became the first player it Italian descent to be selecter first overall since Andrea Bargnani in 2006.