On the same day he made his first All-NBA and All-Defensive Team, Chet Holmgren laid an egg for the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Gonzaga alum finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and one block from 26 minutes, as the Thunder suffered a 103-82 blowout loss. The game marked a continuing trend of stinkers from Holmgren in the West Finals, in which he has averaged 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks through the first four games. Even more concerning for the Thunder, Holmgren has been a -0.3 on the floor in 121 minutes.
Chet Holmgren Under Fire
Many Thunder fans and NBA observers highlighted that Holmgren’s five-year $239M extension starts in 2026–27, arguing that the 24-year-old isn’t worthy of max dollars.
Basketball writer Damien Peters foresees Holmgren continuing to be criticized in the coming years, citing his lackluster offensive production.
“The noise around Chet Holmgren’s offensive impact will continue to grow louder as the years go on,” he wrote. “To me, he’s had a lot of grace because the Thunder have been successful and his defense is extraordinary. But at times like this, when J-Dub is not out there, theoretically Holmgren should be in a position to carry a heavy offensive load. Eventually the questions on whether it is enough for a number 2 pick to be an an elite defender but largely a play-finisher will become a conversation. Especially when he’s individually capable of so much more.”
Some fans felt that Holmgren was letting the Thunder down amid the injuries to Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.
Wemby Dominates Chet — Again
Other fan reactions calling Wemby “overrated” can be seen below.
Perhaps the only silver lining for the Thunder is that Chet Holmgren’s new extension does not include All-NBA escalators, as highlighted by Sportrac’s Keith Smith.
“Chet Holmgren’s extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder did NOT include All-NBA escalators. So, Holmgren’s contract will stay at 25% of the cap, despite him being named to the All-NBA Third Team,” Smith wrote on X.
“Holmgren’s extension projects to be $239.3M over five years.”
Another concerning stat is that Holmgren allowed Victor Wembanyama to shoot 50% from the field (8-of-16 FG) as the primary defender through the first three games, while shooting 25% (1-of-4 FG) when guarded by the Frenchman. While the exact numbers for Game 4 have yet to be released, Wemby once again dominated Holmgren, finishing with 33 points, eight rebounds and three blocks against Holmgren’s meagre stat line.
“Chet looks mentally beat when he plays Wemby,” Spurs Culture wrote on X.
“It’s like everything Wemby did to Chet in the regular season, was to beat Chet mentally knowing they’d play in the playoffs
“Wemby has been planting those seeds in Chet’s head.”
Even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was lost for words when asked how he and his teammates can involve Chet Holmgren in the offense.
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