Thunder GM Sam Presti says Chet Holmgren is an unknown

Thunder GM Same Presti says the team does not know if it needs a traditional center because they don't know who Chet Holmgren is as a player.

Many have clamored for the Oklahoma City Thunder to add a traditional center to compliment Chet Holmgren, but Thunder general manager Sam Presti said that is not necessarily a focus, because the team does not know who Holmgren is as an NBA player yet.

“We have a lot more work to do internally, and the more we do, the more understanding we'll have as to what potentially we might want to do to compliment, but we are introducing a new player next year in Chet,” Sam Presti said in a press conference clip posted to Reddit by u/BigBonesMilk. “And so, I think we have to be willing to observe that and not predict, ‘well this is exactly what we need to do.'

Sam Presti and the Thunder selected Chet Holmgren out of Gonzaga in the 2022 NBA Draft. He missed the entire 2022-2023 season with a lisfranc injury in his right foot. Holmgren is set to debut for the Thunder next season on a promising young roster that includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Josh Giddey.

Presti also addressed the amount of draft picks the Thunder have. The team has stockpiled a lot for the foreseeable future. If Presti plays his cards right, the Thunder could have a lot going for them.

“Having those draft picks, even if on paper it says, ‘Well we don't have enough spots for them.’ That's a problem everybody would like to have,” Presti said in the press conference clip.

It will be interesting to see how Holmgren fares next season with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, and whether or not the need for a traditional center will present itself.