Burgeoning NBA superstars Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren have made it known in their three years in the league that they don’t like one another. Their rivalry takes center stage Monday when the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder clash in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Wemby—the Defensive Player of the Year and toast of the NBA—is regarded as the superior player. However, Holmgren could pose serious problems for the Frenchman, reckons three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem, especially with his ability to step out to the perimeter and knock down threes at a high clip.
While previewing the Spurs vs Thunder series for “NBA on Prime,” Haslem explained why Holmgren would be a tougher matchup for Wemby than Rudy Gobert, whom the Spurs star dominated in the second round win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Can Holmgren Outplay Wemby?
“You’re not going against a big standing in the paint now,” Haslem warned Victor Wembanyama, while highlighting Gobert’s limited offensive skillset.
“You’re going against a big who can shoot,” he said of the Holmgren matchup.
“Wemby has to be a little more careful when he goes to block those shots, because you have a guy now that can spread the floor. It’s not going to be as easy as going up against Gobert or even Jaden McDaniels.
“Both Chet and Jaylin Williams can shoot threes, so it’ll be a different challenge for Wemby,” added the Miami Heat legend.
Further to Haslem’s point, Holmgren has made 1.5 threes per game at an excellent clip of 38.7% in the playoffs, while Jaylin Williams has made 1.0 three per game at 37%. As such, Wemby will be forced to guard the perimeter routinely in the West Finals.
Wemby vs Holmgren Rivalry
If Holmgren does pose problems for Wemby, it’ll mark the latest chapter in the growing rivalry between the two supremely talented seven-footers.
Holmgren struggled a lot in four games against the Spurs this year, averaging just 10.5 points on 38.7% shooting. The Gonzaga alum was a combined -16 on the floor in those games, three of which the Thunder lost to Wembanyama’s Spurs.
Conversely, Wemby was his usual dominant self against the Thunder, averaging 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds on 52/62/64 shooting splits across five games. He was a +50 on the floor as the Spurs beat the Thunder 4-1, including the NBA Cup semifinal win.
Ahead of their second matchup in December, Wemby turned heads when he suggested that Holmgren wasn’t on his level.
“No, I don’t think about that,” Wemby said of the rivalry. “At least from a basketball standpoint, there’s no comparison between us.”
Holmgren had a coy response when asked to address the rivalry.
“I don’t think it’s ever been up to the players or teams to declare rivalries, so you’re asking the wrong person,” Holmgren told ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
He further fanned the flames when asked whether he and Wemby had ever conversed.
“Not a full sentence, I don’t think,” he said. “But not in like a, don’t take that and run with it in the wrong way, media, I don’t know, we’ve just never really crossed paths.”
Victor Wembanyama Gets Chet Holmgren Warning Ahead of Spurs-Thunder Series