No one lost Game 7 of Spurs-Thunder more than Chet Holmgren

The narrative for the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder was clear as they entered Sport 7: Somebody wanted to step up with each Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell out for the winner-take-all contest.

That somebody might simply have been Chet Holmgren. Ought to have been, even. The 7-foot-1 huge man was a third-team All-NBA choice and completed second in Defensive Participant of the 12 months voting. Solely Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored extra factors for OKC this season.

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It’s laborious to emphasise sufficient simply how badly that concept labored out.

A possible duel with Victor Wembanyama may as properly have been a shadow-boxing session, as Holmgren was a non-factor within the recreation that determined the Thunder’s season. He completed with 4 factors on 1-of-2 taking pictures (two photographs!) with 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and a couple of turnovers.

He had his moments on protection, however OKC wanted excess of a defensively inclined huge man in Sport 7. What’s extra, each of these photographs got here within the Thunder’s first 4 possessions. He made a step-back jumper after deciding towards difficult Wembanyama within the paint. He missed a float with Wembanyama ready for him on the basket.

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After which he didn’t take a shot for the remainder of the sport.

That’s to not say he didn’t get the ball. He simply averted doing something with it whereas Wembanyama was looming. And the few instances he did attempt to one thing, like on an iso together with his crew down 5 factors within the fourth quarter, the outcomes had been… not star-level.

Possibly it’s unfair to anticipate Holmgren to do one thing he hasn’t all season. He’s a shooter and finisher on offense, not a creator. With Williams and Mitchell out, OKC’s largest downside in Sport 7 was an offense that didn’t know what to do when Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have the ball. Holmgren has by no means been a ballhandler and this wasn’t precisely one of the best atmosphere to provide it a attempt.

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Nevertheless, we have to keep in mind two issues.

One, that is the participant who has been continuously introduced as a foil to Wembanyama, a bodily freak approaching the absurdity of a 7-foot-4 Frenchman with guard handles. They’re presupposed to be rivals, and one in every of them determined it wasn’t even price making an attempt to go toe-to-toe within the largest recreation of the season.

Two, Holmgren signed a five-year, $239 million max extension final 12 months that goes into impact subsequent season. If he can’t be one thing, something, for the Thunder towards the Wembanyama-era Spurs, there is likely to be some re-evaluating to do in Oklahoma Metropolis.

Commerce hypothesis was operating rampant on social media earlier than the sport even ended. It might be an extended offseason for the Thunder, which is all of the sudden dealing with the thought of a youthful crew that would blot out its future, very like OKC did to the West’s different contenders final 12 months.

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No single participant ought to have his future judged off only one recreation (although this wasn’t an ideal collection general for Holmgren earlier than Saturday, both). It’s merely an indication of how catastrophic Saturday was {that a} contender buying and selling a 24-year-old All-NBA defensive anchor is even a dialog.