Why Thunder fans’ disappointment in Chet Holmgren is valid, but redemption is within reach

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star forward Chet Holmgren didn’t attempt a field goal in the second half of Game 7’s 111-103 loss in the 2026 Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. With Jalen Williams sidelined, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champions needed him offensively, but he failed to rise to the occasion. Holmgren’s bounce-back will be a Thunder storyline to follow in 2026-27, but the criticism, for now, is valid.

In a Game 7 loss, Holmgren finished with four points on 1-of-2 attempts, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. He was runner-up to Wembanyama for the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year award, made the All-Defensive First Team, and received an All-NBA Third Team nod, but no one’s going to forget what happened in the Thunder’s Game 7 loss to the Spurs. 2025-26 was Holmgren’s breakout season after the first four years of his career, including a red-shirt campaign, with the Thunder, which were marred by injuries.

Still, it’s not just the lackluster performance in itself, but rather the effort Holmgren put forth when the Thunder’s season was on the line. The fans in Oklahoma City deserved more. The Paycom Center is one of the louder venues in the association. And after watching the Thunder win its first championship in franchise history, fans want to see their stars do everything they can to win again.

Leave it all out on the floor, which isn’t what they saw from Holmgren on that fateful day. Gilgeous-Alexander is a perfect example. He finished with 35 points on 12-for-21 attempts, including 2-for-5 from deep, 9-of-11 from the free-throw line, nine assists, four rebounds, three steals, and one block against the Spurs.

Holmgren isn’t expected to come close to having a similar stat line in Game 7, but no one can look at SGA’s and say he didn’t put enough effort into trying to keep the Thunder’s season alive. Cason Wallace, in only his third season, took five times as many attempts as Chet, and finished 6-for-10, including 5-for-9 from deep en route to scoring 17 points against the Spurs in place of an injured Williams.

Whether it was against Wembanyama and the Spurs or not, Holmgren failed his team by not taking a single shot after halftime. It’s easy for many to assume that Wembanyama was in his head. After Wemby dunked over him in the first half, Chet virtually disappeared offensively.

He also underperformed against the Spurs throughout the regular season. And as those struggles carried into the Thunder’s best-of-7 series, Holmgren’s limitations were magnified in the Western Conference Finals’ Game 7 against San Antonio, and rightfully so. The Spurs advanced to the NBA Finals, handing the Thunder its first postseason loss and the defending champions’ only four losses of the playoffs (11-4).

Thunder All-Star Chet Holmgren’s struggles vs Spurs in 2025-26

Thunder All-Star Chet Holmgren averaged a career-best in points (17.1), rebounds (8.9), and field-goal percentage (55.7%) in 2025-26. However, the offense of that stat line drops drastically to 10.5 points on 38.7% shooting against Defensive Player of the Year center Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs throughout the regular season. Rebounding and defense don’t take a big hit, but Holmgren’s scoring undoubtedly does.

Ever since 2023, Wembanyama and Holmgren have been linked together as the league’s premier big men of their era. After suffering a right foot Lisfranc injury ahead of his rookie season in 2022-23, Holmgren made his Thunder debut as Wembanyama was starting his NBA career with the Spurs. However, the budding rivalry between the two 7-footers extends beyond that.

In the 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, Holmgren’s Team USA defeated Wembanyama and the French national team 83-75 to win the gold medal game in Latvia. And in the words of Hall of Fame guard Michael Jordan, Wembanyama “took it personally,” as the constant comparisons have seemed to irk him from the start.

Wembanyama steps up his game against Holmgren. Wembanyama averaged 18.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across five regular-season games against the Thunder, a slight drop-off from his 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game in 2025-26.

That stat line leveled off in his last five games of the Western Conference Finals’ best-of-7 series, where he posted 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game against the Thunder. At the same time, Holmgren didn’t look like an All-Star, averaging 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks.

The Spurs saw blood and finished the job by holding Chet scoreless after the second quarter of Game 7. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attempted to put the team on his back down the stretch, the Spurs’ defense clamped down on his various drives to the rim and limited his shot from the midrange. Holmgren wasn’t assertive. Most players struggle against the Defensive Player of the Year, as did Knicks All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns in the last two games of this year’s Finals, but not trying is inexcusable.

Holmgren sat back and watched while the Spurs limited his touches and cleaned the glass, as he finished with only four rebounds. The underwhelming performance will be remembered as the most disappointing outing of his career.

Thunder’s Chet Holmgren, Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama budding rivalry

From the get-go, Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama looked forward to his matchups against Thunder’s Chet Holmgren. Ahead of their very first NBA matchup, Wembanyama couldn’t wait to face Holmgren and the Thunder, he said, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst in November 2023.

“The games against OKC are going to be interesting,” Wembanyama said. “For sure.”

The Thunder selected Holmgren and Jalen Williams with the second and 12th overall picks in the 2022 draft, which put the finishing touches on the franchise’s championship core. The Thunder front office built a championship roster, led by All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

After a second-round playoff exit against the Mavericks in 2024, the Thunder signed center Isaiah Hartenstein and a veteran guard in Alex Caruso. Hartenstein cleans the glass, sets screens, and creates second-chance opportunities alongside Holmgren. Caruso provides hard-nosed defense and backcourt 3-point shooting. The Thunder won its first championship in franchise history in 2025.

At the same time, Wembanyama guided the Spurs through their rebuild ahead of clashing with Holmgren and the Thunder in the 2026 Western Conference Finals.

After the Spurs watched the Thunder defeat the Pacers 4-3 in the 2025 NBA Finals, they accelerated their growth and went on a historic run. Winning 26 of 28 games in the latter half of the regular season, including a perfect 11-0 record in February, the Spurs were on a collision course to meet the 2025 champion Thunder in the postseason. The seeds were planted early in the regular season.

Wembanyama and the Spurs were responsible for scrapping the notion that the Thunder had an opportunity to become the first NBA team to win 70+ games since the Warriors after their historic 24-1 start. The Spurs brought the Thunder back to earth in December, beating them three times within two weeks, including a 130-110 blowout victory on December 23 and a 117-102 win at Oklahoma City on Christmas Day.

Beating the Thunder to reach the NBA Finals brought Wembanyama to tears. Holmgren has never felt heartbreak of his magnitude, losing Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals, especially against a rival like Wembanyama and the Spurs.

It’s the NBA’s newest rivalry, whether either team wants to admit it or not, and now it’s time for Holmgren to prove he can take a lick and fight back with vengeance against Wembanyama and the Spurs in 2026-27.

“I’m excited,” Chet Holmgren told ClutchPoints. “I mean, I’ve been on the court all summer. I’m excited to get back to OKC with the guys and get back to work.”

In the spirit of competition, Holmgren should be excited. Ready to quiet his naysayers, he should be looking forward to having his best season yet, especially against Wembanyama and the Spurs. Then, everyone can move on from his dud in Game 7, especially if the Thunder return to the NBA Finals in 2027. However, for now, he’s on the hook for a disappointing finish to the 2025-26 season, but there’s still time for him to change that.

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