The Oklahoma City Thunder need to work with Chet Holmgren this summer. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs them to. Because they can’t afford a repeat of what happened during this year’s playoffs. OKC has to put Holmgren through Victor Wembanyama academy, preparing his mind so he can help SGA when the going gets tough.
In the Western Conference finals, Holmgren looked like a shell of himself. He completely melted into a puddle of offensive uselessness as SGA was trying to carry the load. And from the looks of it, a lot of the problem stemmed from the presence of Wemby. So, that’s what OKC needs to focus on this summer. Holmgren’s mentality.
Because SGA cannot deal with him completely disappearing in the playoffs again.
Thunder need to improve Chet Holmgren's mental this summer
When the going got tough in the Western Conference finals – with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell sidelined – SGA had to do everything. He got small spurts of help from Jared McCain and Cason Wallace, among others, but the offense was left up to him.
All the while, Holmgren was still healthy. He was still on the court. He was active. But he wasn’t effective. It looked like he had been completely taken out of the Thunder’s offense.
Any time he stared down Wemby with the ball in his hands, he fumbled. Literally. He would lose the ball or just inexplicably fall to the ground. It looked like Wemby was in his head.
That cannot happen. Holmgren needs to develop a stronger mind than that. He can’t let another player get to him. So, that’s where the Thunder need to place their focus this offseason.
OKC needs to put Holmgren through the ringer. They need to find a way to test his mentality. Strengthen his mind. Ensure that he’ll never be mentally taken out of a series ever again.
SGA cannot afford for him to be hesitant with the ball in his hands. He needs Holmgren to be a secondary scorer – tertiary, perhaps, when Williams is healthy.
The point is, the Thunder need to fix Holmgren’s mind. For SGA’s sake. They need to make sure that Wemby (or anyone else) cannot get in his head moving forward.
He needs to be confident. He needs to look for his shots. He needs to be engaged in the offense and completely unafraid to take on whoever stands in his way on that end of the court.
Because in the WCF this year, that wasn’t the case.
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