Thunder select Gonzaga C Chet Holmgren with No. 2 pick

Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number two overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Thunder select Gonzaga C Chet Holmgren second overall in 2022 NBA Draft

By Adam Stites | Last updated 6/23/22

The Orlando Magic started the 2022 NBA Draft with a shock by selecting Paolo Banchero over Jabari Smith with the No. 1 pick, but it didn't change the plans of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who picked Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren, as expected.

Holmgren was thought by many to be the top prospect in the draft class and was largely expected to be the other option for Orlando if the team decided against picking Smith. In one season at Gonzaga, the seven-footer averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game.

.@ChetHolmgren ties the program record for blocks in a single season pic.twitter.com/kPdBw8NElz
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 25, 2022

In addition to his blocking prowess, Holmgren made 39 percent of his three-point attempts.

Oklahoma City finished the 2021-22 season with the fourth worst record in the NBA at 24-58. The team was last in scoring with 103.7 points per game. The Thunder were led by guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 24.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. Luguentz Dort added another 17.2 points, 1.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Last year, the Thunder drafted Josh Giddey with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and he finished his rookie season with 12.5 points, 6.4 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game.

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