Chet Holmgren’s super skinny leg is the NBA’s newest meme

It’s hard to get past how skinny Chet Holmgren is the first time you see him play basketball. Holmgren has been doubted for his thin frame from the moment he first emerged as an elite prospect as a high schooler out of Minnesota, but it’s never stopped him from dominating the competition. Holmgren was a star at Minnehaha Academy and then at Gonzaga before being selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Now he’s taking on NBA summer league.

Fans are getting their first look at Holmgren in a pro uniform in Las Vegas, and he’s already living up to the hype. Holmgren is succeeding the way he always has, with a combination of length, skill, and toughness rarely seen in a player his size. Even as Holmgren has made some jaw-dropping plays in summer league, some people still can’t get over his frame.

This photo was passed around on Twitter after Holmgren dropped 16 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting in a summer league win over the Magic on Monday. Yeah, Holmgren is still really skinny.

Holmgren is just starting to grow into his body as a 20-year-old. He’s going to add muscle as he gets older, but again: he’s always been productive and durable despite his thin frame.

There were memes. Of course there were memes.

Make fun of Chet for being rail-thin all you want: the dude is a proven stud. We ranked Holmgren as the No. 2 player on our big board entering the draft, and gave the Thunder an A+ in our draft grades for selecting him. He’s already been showing what makes him so good in summer league.

Here’s a few examples:

Holmgren’s thin frame is going to continue to be a storyline in the NBA. Here’s a prediction: it won’t matter how skinny he is, Holmgren is still going to be awesome. This is just the start.