Though he enjoys the hype surrounding it, Chet Holmgren is sick of discussing what he perceives to be a phoney competition with Victor Wembanyama. Holmgren is 7-foot-1, while Wembanyama is 7-foot-3. Holmgren finished second with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, while Wembanyama earned Rookie of the Year with the San Antonio Spurs. Considering their height, both players have remarkable shooting and ball-handling abilities.
More people can watch and attend games when there is a story like this. The NBA is a business, according to Holmgren. “And players are the foundation of the league. Getting people to attend and watch the games is the main goal. And they advertise the players as one of their methods. Therefore, I simply consider it to be advertising. Holmgren scored 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting to lead the Thunder to a 105-93 victory in their most recent game on Wednesday.
Wembanyama didn’t score any points in the second half and finished with just six points on 1-for-5 shooting. Wembanyama has improved since finishing second for Defensive Player of the Year the previous season, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said prior to the game. He said that while assisting France in winning a silver medal at the Olympics this summer, the 20-year-old’s confidence increased. Popovich declined to answer questions following the match. In a succinct remark, he criticised his team’s performance and praised the Thunder.
Wembanyama improved every time the Spurs played the Thunder last season, and San Antonio’s play also improved. Last season, San Antonio defeated Oklahoma City 132-118 after Wembanyama scored 28 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, dished out seven assists, and blocked five shots in the third game. Oklahoma City had won the previous two games. In that same game, Holmgren scored 23 points, pulled down seven rebounds, and dished out five assists. In the three games he played, Wembanyama averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks, which increased anticipation for Wednesday’s game at the Paycom Centre. However, he missed the fourth game, which the Thunder won handily. Chris Paul, a former Thunder player, was cheered when he was introduced with the starting lineup, whereas Wembanyama was harshly jeered.
as Wembanyama won the tip, the fans went wild, especially as the two players faced off straight. Holmgren’s handling of the ball against Wembanyama in the first quarter created a stir, but he missed a pull-up jumper. Despite being covered by several players, Holmgren did manage to make two three-pointers early. The matchup became one-sided as the game progressed, and the excitement subsided. Wembanyama only managed six points on 1-for-5 shooting and six rebounds in the first half, compared to 15 points from Holmgren.
Wembanyama missed the last 7:04 of the game after Oklahoma City gained control, which was a surprising outcome for a player who had been averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds in his prior outings. After the game, when asked about the matchup, Holmgren changed the subject. “I love waking up, going to play basketball, and taking care of my family every single day,” he remarked. I’ve always wanted to do it. As long as I can, that’s what I always want to do. Furthermore, that isn’t different from game to game. Nevertheless, it will always be Thunder against our opponent. My goal in being here is to win basketball games. And it will be that way each and every night.