The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the Western Conference Finals as the defending NBA champions. They had been the best team in the league for the better part of 19 months. The San Antonio Spurs ended all of that in seven games, and the loudest conversation coming out of OKC’s elimination has centered on one player.
Chet Holmgren struggled against Victor Wembanyama throughout the series. He scored in single digits twice and never found a consistent answer for what the Spurs threw at him. The low point came in Game 7, when Wembanyama posterized him in the first quarter and Holmgren finished with four points. It was a difficult series for a player who had spent the regular season playing some of the best basketball of his career.
The criticism that followed was swift. Some voices in the media went further than criticism, calling for the Thunder to move on from Holmgren entirely.
Draymond Green had something to say about that.
Warriors’ Draymond Green Shuts Down the Holmgren Trade Talk
GettyGolden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
On the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show, the Golden State Warriors veteran did not hold back. Green pushed back hard on anyone calling for Oklahoma City to trade Holmgren based on one playoff series.
“I thought all of that talk is ridiculous and premature,” Green said, adding that reacting this way is exactly how franchises set themselves back and never grow.
Holmgren is 24 years old. He finished this season averaging career highs in points, at 17.1, and rebounds, at 8.9 per game, while shooting 55.7 percent from the field. Holmgren earned All-NBA Third Team honors, made the All-Star team, and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He also has a championship ring. One rough playoff series does not erase any of that.
What the Series Showed
GettyChet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game Six of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center.
Holmgren’s numbers against the Spurs were difficult to look at. Four points in Game 7. Single digits in multiple outings. Wembanyama affected him on both ends in ways that were visible from the opening tip of the series.
But the Thunder’s coaching staff pushed back on the narrative throughout. Mark Daigneault pointed to stretches where Holmgren was impactful in ways that don’t show up in the box score, fighting on the glass, disrupting shots, and drawing fouls on aggressive cuts. Oklahoma City was also without key offensive pieces, with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both unavailable for significant stretches.
Why Warriors’ Green’s Take Has Weight
Draymond Green has played in more high-stakes playoff series than almost anyone in his generation. He understands what a bad playoff run looks like, and more importantly, he understands the difference between a fixable problem and a reason to panic.
His broader point about franchises undermining themselves by reacting to public pressure is one that has played out repeatedly across the league. Teams that trade away foundational pieces because of one difficult series rarely end up better for it. The ones that stay the course, trust the player, and put the work in during the summer tend to find out what they actually have.
Holmgren is not a finished product. He is a 24-year-old with All-Star talent, elite defensive instincts, and a championship already on his resume. The gap between him and Wembanyama is real. But he has time to find an answer.
Final Word
Green’s take will resonate with plenty of people around the league. Trading a 24-year-old All-Star off the back of one difficult playoff series is rarely the right move, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren give Oklahoma City a foundation worth building around.
The Wembanyama matchup was a real problem this postseason. That much is fair. But the Thunder are a young, talented team with a core built to compete for years, and Holmgren is part of that equation.
The work starts this summer. Holmgren knows it. Green knows it too.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Warriors’ Draymond Green Drops Blunt Chet Holmgren Take appeared first on HEAVY.