The Oklahoma City Thunder are apparently standing by Chet Holmgren after his embarrassing performance in the Western Conference Finals. Many pundits and fans have questioned if the Thunder should trade Holmgren after he barely made any impact against the San Antonio Spurs. Holmgren’s rival Victor Wembanyama dominated Chet on both sides of the court to give the Spurs a 4-3 series victory.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN shared the following about Oklahoma City and General Manager Sam Presti:
“He had an awful series in this series. The circumstances are that he’s not supposed to be the number two option for them offensively. But this idea that it’s time to pull the plug on Chet Holmgren in Oklahoma City? I can promise you this, Sam Presti will not be taking that advice.”
Holmgren is coming off the best individual season of his career after making his first All-Star team, getting his first All-NBA selection, and finishing second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. Jalen Williams dealing with injuries all season forced Holmgren into a bigger role as the second scorer on the team. Oklahoma City suffered for this when Chet failed to score against a better defender in Wemby with the series on the line.
Why Thunder Want To Stand With Chet Holmgren
The playoffs lead to fans and sometimes organizations making desperate decisions in the heat of the moment. Oklahoma City is coming off their third consecutive season with the most wins in the loaded Western Conference. Holmgren is clearly a big part of the team and contributes to dominant regular season wins.
However, the playoffs are where things get tougher with Holmgren having to face off against elite centers like Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic. Chet’s weaknesses were revealed in this recent series where he both struggled to score and couldn’t hold his own defending Wemby.
The Thunder will likely stand pat after a season that ended with Williams and important role player Ajay Mitchell both out with injury. Oklahoma City fell just one game short of the NBA Finals, where they would be favored over the New York Knicks. Making drastic changes after coming close in an injury impacted season is too risky for Presti.
Things Could Change Next Season For OKC
Holmgren likely won’t be traded due to the Thunder not wanting to ruin a great situation based on a disappointing exit in a seven-game series. However, the pressure is on Chet now to improve and step up knowing the Spurs are the main rival moving forward.
Oklahoma City is rumored to lose Isaiah Hartenstein as starting center either this offseason or next summer as a free agent. Holmgren will have to play more minutes at center against names like Wembanyama and Jokic.
If the Thunder sees more disappointment from this situation, Holmgren may get moved in the future. Next season will feature a new level of pressure on Oklahoma City players to win another title and get past San Antonio. Chet is the top name that will have all eyes on him even more due to the Thunder keeping their trust in him.
Thunder Quickly Made Huge Decision On Chet Holmgren’s Future