It's hard not to fixate on how much Chet Holmgren struggled in Monday's Western Conference Finals Game 1 loss for the OKC Thunder, especially when considering his frontcourt rival, Victor Wembanyama, had a truly historic performance of his own.
From his 2-for-7 shooting efforts and abysmal minus-seven plus-minus to the fact that he ended up on the wrong side of a number of poster dunks, the big man had a night to forget during Oklahoma City's 122-115 demise.
Things looked so bad for Chet, in fact, that former Thunder center Kendrick Perkins took it upon himself to try and light any semblance of a fire under him during a post-game appearance on SportsCenter, where he reminded everyone that Wembanyama has a competitive, on-court "hatred" for Holmgren and that, in order to get back on track, he needs to find a way to match this energy.
"I saw him ducking smoke tonight... In order for them to even stand a chance, Chet Holmgren is going to have to take this personal, especially on the defensive side of the basketball... Chet, if you're watching this, if his family's watching this, Victor Wembanyama doesn't like you. You need to have the same feelings for him," Perkins said.
For years now, Wembanyama's reported distaste for Holmgren has been well documented.
Whether it's insider intel revealing that he was motivated to improve his game last offseason due to Chet winning a ring before him, or suggesting Holmgren greatly benefits from playing next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, examples of Wembanyama's disdain for the Thunder big are a dime a dozen.
While historically, Chet has opted to take the high road and keep things tame and professional when discussing Wemby, perhaps taking Perkins' advice and using this rivalry as motivation heading into Game 2 could be what he needs to make up for what was objectively a cold opener for the All-Star.
Thunder big fell well short of general level of production in Game 1
Holmgren not only netted his first All-Star nod and posted a career-high in points-per-game with 17.1 in 2025-26, but he also finished second in the running for Defensive Player of the Year behind the likes of Wembanyama.
In Game 1, it was clear he fell well short of his usual level of play that led him to such achievements during the regular season.
Seemingly a shell of himself, the Thunder star wrapped up his nearly 41 minutes on the night with just eight points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and three personal fouls, while Wemby bullied his way to 41 points, 24 boards, and three blocks.
As Perkins noted, things got so bad for Holmgren on the defensive end when matched up against the Spurs' cornerstone that he was actually predominantly seen out near the perimeter defending guards and wings like Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell, while the 6-foot-5 Alex Caruso was tasked to take on the assignment of the 7-foot-4 behemoth instead.
Though Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't seem to be all that concerned about their double-overtime loss to San Antonio, in order for the Thunder to have their best shot at advancing to their second consecutive title round, they're going to need a much different, more aggressive, and locked-in version of Holmgren moving forward.
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