Summer League notes: Former Gonzaga standout Chet Holmgren posts double-double, continues to ‘find groove’ at NBA Summer League

LAS VEGAS – Chet Holmgren returned to the Thomas & Mack Center with the same aggression, intensity and focus that he carried into last year’s NBA Summer League showcase.

Almost as if the former Gonzaga center hadn’t spent the last 10 months sidelined with damaged ligaments in his right foot, requiring Holmgren to undergo two different operations and an extensive rehabilitation process.

Holmgren took a few spills that made Oklahoma City fans hold their breath, but the former No. 2 draft pick never looked uncomfortable, collecting a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the Thunder’s Vegas Summer League opener on Saturday – a 91-80 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

It was Holmgren’s second double-double in as many games after he scored 10 points to go with 11 rebounds in a Salt Lake Summer League matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

“I always feel like me, I always feel like myself but with my game I’m going to make mistakes whether I just played 82 or played 0 games,” Holmgren told a large media scrum. “So, just got to learn from them and try not to make them again. That’s just what I need to do out there.”

Holmgren’s numbers were still modest relative to his Summer League debut in Salt Lake City last year, when he scored 23 points, snatched seven rebounds and set a Summer League record with six blocked shots, but Saturday’s game represented another important step for someone who’ll be counted on to make an impact for an OKC team that will enter the 2023-24 season with playoff aspirations.

He made 5 of 10 shots from the field, finished 1 of 4 from the 3-point line and went 5 of 8 from the free throw line while blocking two shots in his 30 minutes. The Thunder were plus-14 when Holmgren was on the floor. That was notably better than Oklahoma City’s other four starters, who were plus-2, minus-3, minus-3 and minus-4.

“I think he’s done a nice job of, really all Summer League of just continuing to grow, get his feet under him obviously and play with effort while he’s out there,” Oklahoma City Summer League coach Kameron Woods said. “If he does that again, he has so many things he can get done. I thought he did a great job of that tonight and obviously we need to keep building.”

It took Holmgren much of the first quarter to find his footing and the former Gonzaga standout didn’t produce a stat through the opening five minutes. He still managed to score seven points before the period ended, getting on the score sheet when he fed Jared Butler on a dribble handoff, rolled to the rim and caught a high lob from the OKC guard, capping the play with an alley oop.

Holmgren sprinted back down the floor to grab a defensive rebound, passing off to Butler, who’d assist his teammate again – this time throwing to the 7-footer at the top of the arc for a 3-pointer.

“Chet’s had a lot of really good moments as a guy who hasn’t played for awhile,” Woods said.

Holmgren’s two rejections on Saturday would qualify.

On one, he collapsed into the paint to get his right hand on a Jaden Hardy layup, swiping the ball out of the guard’s hands and off his head to cause a deflection and give Oklahoma City possession.

Early in the second quarter, an effort play from the 7-footer turned into another Holmgren highlight when the center raced down the court for a chase-down block on Brandon Randolph. Holmgren was 10-15 feet behind the action when Dallas started its fastbreak, but the rangy center managed to get back in time to swat the ball off the glass, prompting a loud eruption from the Thomas & Mack crowd.

“Just trying to make a play,” he said. “Just seeing a play before it happens and going and making it happen. Just trying to make winning plays for my team, that’s all it is.”

Holmgren closed with seven more points in the fourth quarter, routinely getting the best of 7-foot-1, 230-pound Dereck Lively II, the Dallas center and Duke product who was selected 12th overall in last month’s draft.

“I feel like I’m getting my groove back,” Holmgren said, “and I’ve just got to give all the credit to my teammates and coaches for believing in me and putting me in situations to be successful.”

Petrusev’s best

It’s taken a few years for Filip Petrusev to settle in and adapt to the Summer League setting, but the former Gonzaga center felt he had his strongest individual outing as a Philadelphia 76er during Saturday’s 110-101 win over the New York Knicks at COX Pavilion.

Petrusev, who was selected 50th overall by Philadelphia in the 2021 NBA Draft, scored 13 points – his second-highest total in 15 career games at Vegas and Salt Lake Summer League – on 6 of 8 shooting and 1 of 1 from the 3-point line. The Belgrade, Serbia, native also had five rebounds, one blocked shot and two turnovers.

“I feel more and more comfortable, for sure,” Petrusev said. “It’s just a different game back in Europe where I played all year and over here. So just getting more and more comfortable figuring out what I need to do out here. It’s been getting only better and better and this is probably my best game so far.”

The 6-foot-11 center hasn’t scored fewer than eight points in any of his four Summer League games to this point, averaging exactly 10 points and 6.7 rebounds. He made his fourth start since returning to the U.S. from Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet in his hometown of Belgrade, playing 21 minutes against the Knicks and finishing plus-19.

Nembhard contributes in win

After starting more than 60 games for Indiana as a rookie, Andrew Nembhard returned to the Pacers’ summer roster, debuting on Saturday in a 91-83 win over the Washington Wizards.

In some ways, it was a vintage Nembhard performance. In others, not as much.

The point guard scored 14 points on 6 of 14 shooting from the field and 0 of 4 from the 3-point line, dishing out eight assists and hauling down three rebounds.

Nembhard also committed eight of Indiana’s 21 turnovers while playing 32 minutes.

Elsewhere…

• Coming off a solid Summer League debut on Friday against Gonzaga teammate Julian Strawther and the Denver Nuggets, Drew Timme was limited to just seven minutes in Milwaukee’s second game on Saturday night against Phoenix. The former All-American had four points on 1 of 3 shooting, four rebounds and two assists.

• Washington State’s Justin Powell (Miami Heat), Gonzaga’s Joel Ayayi (Memphis Grizzlies) and former Eastern Washington/Shadle Park standout Tanner Groves (Oklahoma City Thunder) all logged DNPs on Saturday.