OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Following their playoff elimination in the Western Conference finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder used their first day of the offseason to rally around Chet Holmgren, who faced criticism after managing just two shot attempts in the decisive seventh game.
The much-anticipated Western Conference finals showdown between Holmgren and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama proved lopsided, with Wembanyama posting better statistics throughout the series as the Spurs advanced. Holmgren struggled to make an offensive impact when his team needed him most in Saturday night’s season-ending loss.
During Sunday’s end-of-season team meetings, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault defended his player’s contributions. “Every minute Chet Holmgren’s been on the team, we’ve been the 1 seed in the Western Conference,” Daigneault stated. “And it wasn’t the case before Chet was healthy.”
Holmgren enjoyed a standout campaign, posting personal bests with 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. His achievements included his first All-NBA selection, first All-Defensive team honor, and inaugural All-Star appearance, while also earning runner-up recognition for Defensive Player of the Year.
In that defensive award voting, he placed second to Wembanyama — mirroring his 2024 Rookie of the Year finish and his team’s result in these conference finals.
Thunder guard and consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emphasized Holmgren’s importance to the organization. “We need Chet. We need Chet Holmgren,” Gilgeous-Alexander declared. “Before Chet was here, we weren’t who we are today. We didn’t have the success we had today. When he’s the best version of himself, we’re the best version of ourselves and it’s no secret.”
The Thunder-Spurs matchup appears positioned to develop into a lasting rivalry, with both franchises featuring young, talented rosters and now having the playoff history that fuels competitive relationships.
“I definitely think that they’re different in terms of I don’t think there’s another team that has their play style, their personnel,” Holmgren observed about San Antonio. “They’re unique in that way. You can’t just kind of play like a base normal, ‘this is what we kind of do on an average Tuesday night’ type of thing.”
While external observers may have blamed Holmgren for Oklahoma City’s Game 7 defeat, his teammates took a different perspective.
Gilgeous-Alexander directed criticism toward himself despite delivering 35 points in the final game against San Antonio, even characterizing his second consecutive MVP season as “a failure.”
“I failed at my goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander explained. “I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve, but through my experiences, I learned the most about myself and I make the greatest amount of increases I have in my career when I fail at my goal and don’t get what I want. And I look at this no different. I didn’t get where I wanted to go this season. There’s a reason for that. Now I have to look at that reason and try to make sure it never happens again.”
