Thunder GM Sends Clear Message About Chet Holmgren
Since the Oklahoma City Thunder fell short in the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, there has been plenty of criticism directed toward big man Chet Holmgren.
In response to that chatter, longtime general manager Sam Presti backed Holmgren, calling him “one of our guys” while underlining his impact on the Thunder’s success.
“He drives winning on so many different levels for us,” Presti said via ESPN. “He’s a first-time All-Star, second in Defensive Player of the Year, third-team All-NBA. We were sweeping our way to the Western Conference finals primarily because of his efforts in the [Lakers] series.”
Although Presti’s remarks hit on many factual points about Holmgren’s performance this past season, he did struggle to play at a consistent offensive level against the Spurs, especially against Victor Wembanyama.
His scoring production took a notable dip against the Spurs, as he averaged just 10.7 points per game, a drastic drop from his regular-season average of 17.1. Holmgren struggled to pick up Wembanyama, and the Frenchman became a non-factor offensively, particularly in Game 7, when he scored just 4 points in the loss.
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Despite all that, Presti continued to back the Gonzaga product, while voicing no doubt in his internal motivation to improve moving forward.
“This is a guy that is intrinsically motivated,” Presti said. “He doesn’t need people questioning him or things on the internet to drive his improvement. … He doesn’t need somebody to nudge him, he doesn’t need somebody to question him. It’s just kind of how he’s wired. So I’m not really that concerned about him.”
If the Thunder hope to continue contending for NBA titles, especially getting past the Spurs in the playoffs, they will need Holmgren to be a prominent factor.
