OKC Rookie Chet Holmgren has responded to Nikola Jokic’s frank comments about his weight.
After Thunder and the Nuggets matchup earlier in the week, Jokic was asked what he thought about the 7-foot-1 rookie, who weighs just 195 pounds on NBA.com.
“He’s a really talented guy, but this is his first year. He’s still learning everything: the game, how quick it is, where is (he at) an advantage, where is (he at) a disadvantage,” Jokic told The Denver Post. “I think he needs experience. I think he needs to be a little bit fatter, to be honest. But yes, he has a talent that is unique.”
Chet was asked about Jokic’s comments by the media following OKC’s 124-112 win over the Pistons.
“It’s hard to get fatter when you’re not fat,” he told reporters. “Start somewhere, I guess.”
The next time Jokic and Chet play on December 16, expect there to be no love lost.
In the four games Holmgren and OKC have played to start the season, the Nuggets have been the only team to defeat them.
Against Detroit, Holmgren recorded 14 points, four rebounds and three assists on 80 percent shooting from the field and from three.
After the game, he acknowledged that this season will be a big learning curve.
“Obviously I haven’t played in the NBA before, so there’s going to be a lot of learning happening,” Holmgren said. “This night, tonight and different matchups bring different challenges and different adjustments and I feel like it’s not one person’s job to do one thing out there. It’s a collective effort from all five, all night long and I feel like we were better as a team tonight at that and it showed in the stats I guess. We were able to come out with the win too, which was the main goal.”
The 21-year-old is averaging 15 points, 6.3 rebounds, two assists, 2.8 blocks and a steal so far this season.
One thing is for sure, Victor Wembanyama certainly has some competition for Rookie Of The Year honors.