One of the great poets of our time, Hannah Montana, wrote: “Nobody is perfect. You keep living and learning until you get it right.” Regardless of whether this game was played in Montana or Denver, rising Thunder star Chet Holmgren wasn't perfect, but he was pretty close.

In his second season debut, Holmgren looked like a change from an already high starting position. With rumors and bold pronouncements speculating about just how big of a two-year leap one could expect from the Gonzaga product, the 7-foot-1 player looked every bit the part of an All-Star player – me dare I say All-NBA player – from which he was touted.

This is largely due to his physical growth. While his body still doesn't catch the eye, he has improved significantly from last year, which is impacting his game, as Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault explained.

“I think it’s a testament to what he did with his body more than anything. I think just thinking about where he was physically a year ago and where he is now. I mean, he stuck with Jokic minute to minute, who is incredibly physical, especially off the ball, on the glass and so on. He really got stronger as the game went on. “We all know he's a great player. He's much better,” Daigneault said

“I hope so, because otherwise it would have been a lot of work in vain,” grinned Holmgren when asked if he agreed with Daigneault’s assessment of his body.

Against the Denver Nuggets, as the undermanned Thunder battled a title contender on the road, Holmgren rose to the challenge. The starting big went head-to-head with league MVP Nikola Jokic, mirroring his minutes and performances.

In 35 minutes of play, Holmgren scored 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals on 61 percent shooting from the floor, including 0-for-5 from distance.

The Thunder center was a plus-nine in the contest, leading a 14-2 run for the OKC Thunder while the best player in the world was on the court on the other side.

The most encouraging long-term effect of this game was Holmgren's determination and decisiveness, which made him a more aggressive scorer. He took advantage of every shot the Nuggets gave him to attack the rim, resulting in three and-ones and five total free throw attempts in the first half.

For the Thunder to achieve their lofty title goals, Holmgren will need to show this level of offensive penetration every night, but so far – even since the friendly – that has been the case for the seven-footers in the first game of the second season.

While this was a near-perfect performance, can you imagine how this game would end if Holmgren made even a few of his eight 3-point attempts instead of going 0-for-8? Or get his free throw performance back to the level of the first half of his rookie season?

Sure, it's getting greedy, but it also shows that even in one of the best games of Holmgren's career, he's not yet at his limits. That should make the NBA sit up and take notice.

Song of the day: I want to start something by Michael Jackson

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