All-Star big man Chet Holmgren is getting a lot of blame for the Oklahoma City Thunder having a heartbreaking elimination in the Western Conference Finals. However, Draymond Green of all people has gone out of his way to defend Holmgren against critics. The Golden State Warriors star has criticized players many times for struggling in the playoffs, but he feels like Chet deserves more respect.
Green expressed this statement on his podcast about everyone turning against Holmgren:
“And it’s crazy, man, how people flip because Chet had an awful series, and I did not love the way it went, right? Like you watch it and it just wasn’t enough. Like, bro, you got to go down swinging, and it just didn’t feel like Chet went down swinging.
For that, I understand criticizing Chet and all of that, but acting like he’s just a bum and he should be traded—like, I thought all of that talk was ridiculous and premature, and it’s the exact way that franchises set themselves back and never grow.”
Green made sure to make it clear that he doesn’t believe that Holmgren had a good series and it’s a problem that needs to be corrected. However, he also questioned people wanting to trade Chet by saying rash decisions like this cause franchises to fail in the long-term picture.
Draymond Didn’t Acknowledge The Wemby Factor
The NBA world is partially reacting negatively to Holmgren for the context of his poor performances more than just for having bad games. Victor Wembanyama has made it clear that he views Holmgren as a rival and takes the fight to Chet every time they play.
Holmgren folded under the pressure and struggled on both ends of the court. The San Antonio Spurs made Chet a non-factor on offense, and he was forced off the court at times due to his struggles on the defensive side.
Wembanyama destroying Holmgren made him lose a lot of respect across the league. Any player getting All-Star and All-NBA nods is expected to deliver in the most important games. Green is missing that Chet was outplayed in a way that rarely ever happens to players of his caliber.
Draymond Has Criticized Similar Players Before
The reaction from Draymond is a bit surprising due to his harsher criticisms towards other players in similar situations. Jaren Jackson Jr. has been criticized by Green in the past, and he has the same style of Holmgren as elite team defenders with bigger offensive questions.
Green went out of his way to fault Jackson for the Memphis Grizzlies’ struggles in the past when they had a rivalry with the Warriors. Holmgren didn’t get judged the same way and received some back up from Draymond saying he deserves more respect.
In fairness to Green, he also knows how tough it was for teams to repeat. Draymond holds more respect to the Thunder and feels that Chet shouldn’t be traded to ruin that core. Holmgren does deserve at least one more season to prove he’s as good as Oklahoma City views him.
Draymond Green Surprisingly Defends Chet Holmgren Vs Critics