Thunder rallying behind Chet Holmgren after difficult West finals

Chet Holmgren endured a frustrating end to an otherwise outstanding season.

The Thunder big man struggled throughout Oklahoma City’s Western Conference finals loss to the Spurs, culminating in a four-point performance in Game 7 that drew criticism from fans and analysts alike.

Inside the organization, however, support for Holmgren remains unwavering.

Speaking during the team’s end-of-season media sessions, coach Mark Daigneault emphasized Holmgren’s importance to Oklahoma City’s rise into championship contention.

“Every minute Chet Holmgren’s been on the team, we’ve been the 1 seed in the Western Conference,” Daigneault said, according to The Associated Press. “And it wasn’t the case before Chet was healthy.”

Holmgren was largely outplayed by Spurs star Victor Wembanyama during the seven-game series, but his overall body of work this season was difficult to ignore.

The 23-year-old averaged career highs of 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds while earning his first All-Star selection and first All-NBA honors. He also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander echoed Daigneault’s comments and made it clear the organization remains fully committed to Holmgren moving forward.

“We need Chet. We need Chet Holmgren,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Before Chet was here, we weren’t who we are today.”

The Thunder entered the season with championship aspirations and came within one victory of returning to the NBA Finals.

While the ending was disappointing, Oklahoma City still views Holmgren as a central piece of its future.

“When he’s the best version of himself, we’re the best version of ourselves,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

One difficult series hasn’t changed that belief.