YouTube Gold: Chet Holmgren Returns

A while back, somebody was bugging Jay Bilas about the evolution of the game and he pointed out that, all things being equal, it was still better to be big than little in basketball.

Enter Chet Holmgren.

When Holmgren was at Gonzaga his freshman year, he was painfully thin: just 195 lbs stretched over a 7-1 frame. It was understandable that he was so thin because obviously he grew fast and he’s naturally lean anyway.

But in the NBA, he’s clearly going to need to be bigger because some guys are just going to beat the tar out of him. There was a lot of skepticism last year because he got injured so early and a lot of people thought it might have been due to his light frame.

He sat out last year due to that foot injury and while he’s not exactly musclebound now, he clearly has worked hard in the weight room. Holmgren is up to 208, which means he’s put on nearly 15 pounds.

You can see in this clip that he’s a different player. He moves more assertively and while 208 isn’t enough, it’s clearly helped him become more confident and assertive. You’d think he could carry 240-250 without any ill effects, and if he gets to that point, he’s going to be a monster. Watching him and fellow unicorn Victor Wembanyana go after each other is going to be a lot of fun.