In his first game after an 11-month absence, Chet Holmgren displayed both rustiness and flashes of his potential to contribute immediately to the Oklahoma City Thunder in his delayed rookie season. Despite missing the entire previous season due to foot surgery, Holmgren managed to record 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the Thunder's 95-85 victory over the Utah Jazz during the Salt Lake City Summer League opener.

Holmgren, the 7-footer who sustained a Lisfranc injury during a Seattle pro-am game in his last appearance back in August, had a rough start to the game. In the first quarter, he struggled to find his rhythm, missing a finger roll, several turnaround jumpers, and even dribbling the ball off his foot and out of bounds, resulting in a scoreless quarter for him.

"The last thing I wanted to do was come out here and be timid, so I wanted to come out of the gates and be aggressive and look to impact the game," Holmgren said. "Obviously with that, you can make mistakes or miss shots, and that's part of the game. Whether you've just played a hundred straight games without missing one or missed the whole season, mistakes come with the game, and I just got to learn from them."

In the second quarter, Holmgren regained his rhythm and showcased his impressive skill set for a player of his size. He contributed 10 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field, demonstrating his ability to make plays off the dribble. Although he didn't connect on his only 3-point attempt, he displayed his agility by driving into the paint and executing a clever up-and-under move with his left hand for a successful finish.

Holmgren showcased his versatility by handling the ball and initiating plays, a sight not often seen from a player of his height. During one notable sequence, he secured a defensive rebound and swiftly pushed the ball up the court, igniting a Thunder fast break. With impressive court vision, he delivered a remarkable touch pass from 40 feet away to power forward Jaylin Williams, resulting in an easy layup.

"That's just new-school basketball," Holmgren said with a smile. "I look forward to making it happen more."

Holmgren's defensive prowess shone through during the game, showcasing his rare ability to defend the rim and handle switches against guards. Out of his four blocked shots on Monday, three were impressive two-handed rejections following drives by Jazz players. The standout moment was his spectacular block on Keyonte George, Utah's first-round pick, where Holmgren emphatically slammed the ball to the floor with both hands, reminiscent of a volleyball middle blocker, eliciting an enthusiastic response from the crowd at the Delta Center.

"He makes paint protection very easy," said Thunder forward Jalen Williams, the Rookie of the Year runner-up last season who scored 21 points in 22 minutes. "He gives everybody a lot more confidence to get up and guard the man a lot higher. I think he does a good job and figuring his way out down there, too, to help, and it makes it easier for us as well to zip around and move there."

Holmgren received full clearance near the end of the Thunder's season in April and has been 1ly participating in pickup games, as well as one-on-one and 3-on-3 matches. Nevertheless, making his return to official game action was a significant milestone for him.

"The foot feels great," Holmgren said. "It's like the injury never happened, other than everything I had to go through obviously. But at this point, if you erased my memory, I wouldn't know that anything had happened to my foot other than the scars from surgery. But conditioning-wise, there's millions of hurdles that you have to go through in the process of returning to play. Not being able to play a game for a year, it's really, really hard to test and see where you are."