After a horrible finish in Game 7 of the Thunder vs Spurs showdown, Chet Holmgren has some soul-searching to do heading into the offseason. He had an All-Star campaign, but that crumbled easily when the Thunder played in the Western Conference Finals, and it even looked like his confidence dwindled in each game.
Ultimately, Oklahoma City ended up losing in seven games — in front of their home crowd. Despite heroics from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his desire to will the defending champions to another NBA Finals appearance, OKC fell short. Victor Wembanyama ended up as the WCF MVP, and Holmgren watched on the sidelines as the final buzzer sounded with the Thunder’s season ending prematurely.
Chet Holmgren Has to Put in the Work This Offseason
After finishing his season at the hands of Wemby and the Spurs, both Holmgren and the Thunder have a lot of things to work on heading into the offseason. So far, there are plenty of adjustments to be made by the team, and the Thunder center himself must improve if OKC is going to get back on the big stage next season.
Chet’s Game 7 Was Awful
It’s no secret that Holmgren struggled to play in this series against the Spurs. It was reminiscent of the Thunder vs Nuggets showdown in last year’s West Semis when he played against Nikola Jokic. He averaged 10.7 points per game on 51% shooting in the series vs San Antonio. However, he failed to step up like he did last year, and his Game 7 performance was proof of that.
Finishing with just four points and four rebounds on just two field goal attempts in a game where everything is at stake is definitely underwhelming. It would have been much better if Holmgren had been struggling on the field against Wemby. Going 1 of 15 would have been better as it meant he put pressure on the attack, but he chose to stay pedestrian instead.
SGA noted that OKC “needs Chet.” Asked about his conversations with Holmgren after the series, if they’ll talk about his approach to the summer:
“I haven’t talked to Chet about that. I won’t. I don’t feel like I need to. I didn’t perform my greatest this series either. Chet… pic.twitter.com/Koy6eOljTj
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) May 31, 2026
For what it’s worth, Holmgren was outscored by Cason Wallace, who had 17 points off the bench. Jaylin Williams Jared McCain, and Alex Caruso also had more points than the Thunder star center. That says a lot about his disappointing game and the need for him to be a major factor on the offensive end.
Holmgren’s Star Level is Still There
Wembanyama clearly dominated the whole series with Holmgren as his primary defender. However, Cheddar, in his own right, was an All-Star for a reason. Before this series against the Spurs, Holmgren was hooping all around against Phoenix and Los Angeles. Of course, he was a major force in the regular season as well, thus, he was expected to play to a certain level in the Thunder vs Spurs showdown.
In Holmgren’s defense, he didn’t play as bad as most people think. He was just outplayed by Wemby, but not to the point that he was a non-factor in the game — save for Game 7. It seemed that the Thunder center could not find a way to play his strength on the floor, and it even looked like he couldn’t be confident enough to attempt his best shots.
Mark Daigneault was asked about Chet Holmgren not playing up to his standard in some of the biggest games of this postseason.
“Well, I mean, in the previous series, he was certainly was and those are the biggest games too, because they get you to the Western Conference finals.… pic.twitter.com/IYisMV156a
— Michael Martin (@MichaelOnSports) May 31, 2026
For most of the series, Wemby was scoring on Holmgren, and even put him on a few posters as well. That’s what good defenders do, though, and it cannot be denied that the Thunder’s All-Star had it rough against the Spurs’ 7’4″ phenom to begin with. He was even dunked on in Game 7 as well, and some even claim that was the breaking point that ate up Holmgren’s confidence.
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA POSTER ON CHET HOLMGREN
OH MY GOODNESS. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/5nNQZir3iK
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 31, 2026
Bulking Up Isn’t a Necessary Solution
By now, many fans are clamoring for the Thunder to trade Holmgren. Some have propositions to bring in Giannis Antetokounmpo, believing the Greek Freak provides muscle and strength inside against Wemby. Some are even claiming that Alperen Sengun would make a great option as well. To top it all off, there’s the usual talk of having Holmgren add more bulk.
Ok I think I’ve crafted the perfect Giannis trade:
Thunder get: Evan Mobley
Hawks get: Chet Holmgren
Cavs get: Giannis
Bucks get: Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, Zaccharie Risacher, Corey Kispert, Buddy Hield, 2026 pick 12 (from OKC), 2026 pick 17 (from OKC), 2027…— Eric Nohelty (@epnohelty) May 31, 2026
This isn’t actually a necessary move to begin with, especially with Holmgren’s shooting being better than his previous years. Adding much more weight might affect his shooting stroke, which would cost him his ability to space the floor as he does now.
Instead, Holmgren should boost his decision-making by being more daring to either pass or shoot his open looks. He gave up many of those looks in the series alone, and that should be a starting point towards his offseason growth. Holmgren must also be extra confident with his size, especially since he’s just giving up a few inches to Wemby in comparison.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
