The Oklahoma City Thunder were dealt a crushing blow when second overall pick Chet Holmgren was ruled out for the season with an injury that happened during a pro-am game. Injuries can happen everywhere, we know that, but it does raise plenty of questions as to why NBA players are allowed to play in these games in the first place. Contract specifics aside, it just seems like a bad idea.
While Holmgren is a rare example of a season-ending injury occurring in a pro-am game, it does happen. DeMarcus Cousins also suffered a season-ending injury while playing in one in 2019. That torn ACL is likely the reason why Cousins isn’t an all-star anymore, but again, that could’ve just as easily happened in an off-season workout at a training facility, in practice, or even in the preseason.
From the team’s perspective, there isn’t a benefit to having their players play. It’s all downside.
Now, the Thunder will be without Holmgren for a full year, and for what? I know, I know, the Thunder probably wouldn’t have been good anyway, but, for all we know, Holmgren could’ve been the Rookie of the Year and the team might’ve been much better as a result.
The injury now freezes Holmgren’s development, and this time next year we’ll all still be wondering how he’ll look in the NBA and how the Thunder will look at full strength.
What can the NBA do?
At this point, probably nothing. It seems that Holmgren and other players who play in pro-am games are allowed to do so under a provision in their contract. The NBA might try and put something into the next collective bargaining agreement to limit players from playing in these games, but it seems unlikely. The reason for this is that pro-am games have ironically become an unofficial part of the offseason, with games even being streamed on the NBA app.
It also generates excitement and keeps players in the spotlight. Players are trending on Twitter, and game highlights are everywhere, even in August, when the NBA is usually dead. Giving up that free publicity wouldn’t be wise, and it’s also unlikely that they’ll try to outlaw it because the players clearly enjoy participating in these pro-am games.
After all, the NBA doesn’t usually play the villain in these scenarios, unlike the NFL, but they’ll have to live with the consequences of being the cool league. Ultimately, these games help promote the NBA, but the more popular they become, the more players will participate in them, and that will likely lead to more players getting injured.