Chet Holgren has only played a few games and it’s clear that the college basketball world is intrigued and enamored by the 7-0 center playing for the #1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Holgren came into the 2021-22 NCAA season as the #1 Freshman center and he’s already showing why.  If you have access to some free bet deals, the odds that Holgren will come out after his Freshman year and go #1 in the 2022 NBA Draft are really high.

Is Holgren the “white Kevin Durant?”

The skinny 19-year old has impressed with his ability to handle and shoot. At 7-foot tall, Chet’s already been given the “unicorn” label even drawing comparisons to the prime unicorn: Kevin Durant. Many commenters on a recent have watched his highlights and calld him the “white Kevin Durant” which is both a huge compliment and puts a lot of pressure on Holgren.  Does Holgrem really play like Durant? We’ll look at three similarities and three differences.

Height Even though Durant doesn’t like to admit that he’s 7-foot tall (and often says he measures 6-foot-11), both Durant and Holgren are legitimate 7-footers that can move like they’re guards.

Skinny Both players aren’t just tall, but they’re both visibly thin. Durant’s first and only year in college, Texas listed him at 215 lbs. Holgren on the other hand, has been listed 20 lbs lighter than Durant at just 195 lbs. Either way, both players were unusually skinnier than their peers and was concerning for an NBA prospect. It’s especially concerning for Holgren whose position is listed at center where he’ll be matched up against much bulkier players.

Shooting Ability One of the characteristics that many think Holgren shares with Kevin Durant is their ability to shoot from distance. While it’s true that both players can shoot from outside there’s a huge difference between the way they score from the perimeter. Holgren is more a set shooter from beyond while Durant is much more dangerous as a 7-footer that can rise up as a jumpshooter

Handles Another attribute that fans believe that Durant and Holgren share is their handle. Though players can bring the ball up the court, there’s a huge difference between the two in how they utilize their ball-handling skills. Durant uses his crossover to access his pure jumpshot or attack the rim, it’s too early to see how Holgren will use his dribbling skillset to benefit his team or unlock him on an individual level.

Scoring During Durant’s one season at Texas, he averaged 25.8 points on 47% from the field. In six games with Gonzaga, Holgren is averaging 13.8 points on over 70% shooting field goal percentage. It’s clear that when comparing the two, Durant has much more of a scoring mindset.

Defense If there’s one aspect of the game that Holgren has over Durant at this point of their careers is defense. Holgren is blocking 3.5 shots per game and affecting way more shots than shows up on the boxscore. Durant was a pretty good defender from a blocks and steals standpoint, but that’s more a signifier of better individual defense than it is the overall contribution to team defense. Holgren wins here. Reputable NBA prospect ranking website DraftXpress said this about Holgren: “Not many 7-footers on the planet who can impact the game like Holmgren can on both ends”

So is Holgren the next KD?  In short, no. Our early analysis says that while there’s similarities in their build (skinny 7-footers) and overlap in some of the skillsets (ability to handle and shoot) that the two aren’t comparable. Durant is a much better scoring and rebounder and was more a perimeter player at this age while Holgren, though displaying guard-like skills, doesn’t have the mobility or scoring instincts that Durant has.

Given we have a very small sample size and we won’t know how Holgren will develop physically, only time will tell whether we can legitimately compare to all-time great Kevin Durant.