Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren were always going to be one of the biggest storylines of the Western Conference finals. Game 1 only turned the volume up.
Wembanyama’s massive night against the Oklahoma City Thunder immediately became one of the NBA’s biggest talking points, with Kevin O’Connor noting on X that the San Antonio Spurs star joined a playoff 40-point, 20-rebound club that includes Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob McAdoo, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Dolph Schayes.
The reaction was not only about Wembanyama’s numbers. It was also about Holmgren, who entered the series as Oklahoma City’s best answer to Wembanyama but became the focus of criticism as the matchup tilted toward the Spurs’ superstar.
“Victor Wembanyama is on the GOAT trajectory,” O’Connor posted after the performance.
Another post from Lachard Binkley questioned why Holmgren, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, was not guarding Wembanyama in overtime. Dustin Dopirak put it more bluntly: “Oh man, Chet you gotta let that go.”
Victor Wembanyama’s Night Put Chet Holmgren Under the Microscope
The comparison between Wembanyama and Holmgren has followed both players since before they entered the NBA, but this series gives it a new stage.
Wembanyama entered the matchup as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year after becoming the youngest winner in league history and the first unanimous winner. Holmgren finished second in that voting, receiving 76 second-place votes and 11 third-place votes, according to ESPN’s published results.
Holmgren is not just another young big. He is one of the league’s best defensive players, a key piece on the defending champion Thunder and the player most naturally linked to Wembanyama because of their size, skill and shared timeline.
But Game 1 gave fans a stark contrast: Wembanyama was being discussed as a historic playoff performer, while Holmgren was being questioned for how Oklahoma City handled the matchup late.
Holmgren finished with just eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 41 minutes.
The Thunder still had plenty working in their favor. Oklahoma City shot 14-of-35 from three-point range, scored 23 points off turnovers and got to the finish line in a tight game. San Antonio shot 12-of-37 from three, committed 16 turnovers and still nearly stole Game 1 on the road behind Wembanyama’s late-game shot-making and rebounding dominance.
That is the part that should concern Oklahoma City. Even with the Thunder winning several of the margins they usually need to win, Wembanyama still turned the game into a referendum on whether anyone in the league can truly match him.
The Chet Holmgren-Victor Wembanyama Debate Is Only Getting Louder
This is also what makes the series so compelling. The Thunder and Spurs are not built around aging stars trying to hold on. They are built around young cores that could define the Western Conference for years.
Wembanyama versus Holmgren is one of the series’ defining storylines.
Game 1 reinforced that point.
Wembanyama gave the NBA world a performance that immediately sparked historic comparisons. Holmgren became part of the same conversation, but not in the way Oklahoma City fans would have wanted.
That does not decide the series. It does, however, change the pressure going into Game 2.
For Wembanyama, the question is whether this was the start of a takeover. For Holmgren, the question is whether he can answer quickly enough to keep the matchup from becoming one-sided.
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