The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, with Chet Holmgren looking far from Shai-Gilgeous Alexander’s co-star against Victor Wembanyama. Holmgren averaged 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in the series, along with making just three of his 11 3-point attempts. Holmgren has struggled against Wemby for years, and the Spurs’ superstar is standing in the way of OKC’s dynasty.
Sam Presti clearly isn’t trading Chet. He wants to build around the 24-year-old All-Star. Holmgren played a key role in the 2025 title run and was just named third-team All-NBA. There are several reasons to be excited, but his struggles against Wembanyama aren’t disappearing because the Thunder backed him.
Solving this problem should be a priority for OKC. Holmgren dominated the Lakers in the second round by averaging 20.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. He shot over 60 percent from the field in the sweep. The Thunder need Chet to play like a star with his max contract kicking in, and must figure out how he can do that against Wemby.
Chet Holmgren’s Victor Wembanyama problem isn’t going away for the Thunder
Wembanyama is 22 years old and just led the Spurs to the NBA Finals. He is just getting started. The Thunder know this will be an epic rivalry for years to come.
OKC is about to get more expensive with max contracts for Jalen Williams and Holmgren kicking in. They may have to retool their roster to make the pieces fit, but Presti is committed to his three homegrown stars.
Holmgren was tentative against the Spurs. He wasn’t guarding Wembanyama or forcing the Spurs’ superstar to step out onto the perimeter. The Thunder need the Chet they get against the other 28 NBA teams if they are going to defeat the Spurs.
Presti is betting on Holmgren's struggles being just a bad series, but history says otherwise. In his nine career regular-season games against the Spurs, Holmgren averaged 13.2 points, which is his second-lowest mark against any opponent. Things were even worse this year. During the four regular-season meetings he played in, Holmgren scored just 10.5 points per game on 38.7 percent shooting from the field and made just two of his ten 3-point attempts.
The Thunder have to make a concerted effort to get Chet going against San Antonio. It needs to start with the first regular-season meeting and go through the playoffs. Having Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell healthy makes Oklahoma City favored over the Spurs, but they won’t defeat them in the playoffs without Holmgren shining.
The Oklahoma City Thunder can’t just ignore Chet Holmgren’s issues against Victor Wembanyama. It is a problem and one that isn’t going anywhere. The two sides will keep battling for Western Conference supremacy. OKC needs Holmgren to perform like a star against his rival. It is all about putting him in advantageous positions and helping him succeed.
The Thunder have to make it happen. They plan on keeping him, so Oklahoma City can’t ignore this issue. Now is the time to put in the work and figure out a plan. Without it, expect more disappointment for Chet and the Thunder.
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