Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren was expected to take a step forward during his second season of active competition in the NBA.
So far, so good.
Through two games, Holmgren is averaging 23 points and 15 rebounds and shooting 52.8 percent from the floor.
He’ll look to continue his strong start when the Thunder open their home schedule against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
While Holmgren has been excellent, so has the Thunder’s defense.
It’s early, but Oklahoma City is allowing an NBA-best 91 points per game.
“We just have a lot of guys that are good at getting deflections, good at anticipating, playing passing lands,” Thunder guard Alex Caruso said. “At any point in time, we’ve got three to five guys that can guard the other team’s best player or be in the passing lane on the backside.”
While plenty has gone right for the Thunder so far, they have struggled from distance.
Oklahoma City has made just 8 of 38 attempts from 3-point range (21.1 percent), which ranks only ahead of the Indiana Pacers (19.7 percent) in the NBA.
Sunday’s game is the second of a back-to-back for the Thunder, who recorded a 114-95 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. It also is first of a back-to-back set for the Hawks.
The Thunder are looking for their first 3-0 start since 2016-17. It hasn’t been quite as long for Atlanta, who last started 3-0 in 2020-21.
Trae Young has started hot for the Hawks.
The three-time All-Star is averaging 34 points and 11 assists. He is just the second player in NBA history to begin a season with back-to-back games of at least 30 points and 10 assists.
The other was Oscar Robertson in 1961-62. Robertson did it in the first three games that season.
In Friday’s 125-120 home win over Charlotte, Young had 38 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and four steals.
“It’s not going to be the same every night, obviously,” Young said. “You want to try to strive to have that.”
While Young is working on becoming a more well-rounded player, improving his defense, he’s also not backing away from his aggressive approach at the other end.
So far, he’s averaging 2.5 steals and five turnovers and shooting 45 percent from the floor and 35 percent from beyond the arc.
“I can’t stop being aggressive at any point in the game, no matter if my shots fall and if I’ve had a couple of turnovers here and there,” Young said. “I’ve got to continue to stay aggressive for my teammates. Because, I mean, that’s what draws two people.”
Young has made 25 of 29 attempts from the free-throw line, helping Atlanta average 42 free-throw tries per game.
Oklahoma City is averaging just 16 attempts from the line so far.
The teams split their two meetings last season, with each team winning at home.