Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is stepping up big time, not just on the court, but off it too, telling Sean Gregory of TIME, “I carry a lot of the weight” for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s crushing Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. This comes as Chet Holmgren has been taking a lot of heat for his performance, but SGA is having none of it, jumping to his teammate’s defense. He made it clear, “I don’t think it’s on Chet.”
Holmgren’s WCF Struggles Are Getting Hard to Ignore
Look, it’s tough to hear, but Chet Holmgren’s postseason run was absolutely cooking until the Western Conference Finals. He was averaging a solid 18.6 points on 60.0 percent shooting, including 38.7 percent from beyond the arc, plus 9.1 rebounds in eight starts through the first two rounds. He was a beast! But then the Spurs series hit, and frequently facing off against Victor Wembanyama on both ends really flipped the script. Holmgren’s numbers tanked, averaging just 10.7 points on 51.0 percent shooting, a brutal 27.3 percent from three, and 7.1 rebounds over those seven games.
And Game 7? Man, that was rough. Holmgren put up only four points with two field-goal attempts in 33 minutes. People are already comparing that performance to Ben Simmons’ infamous Game 7 meltdown against the Atlanta Hawks back in 2021. Yeah, there was even some wild talk about trading Holmgren, especially after he just got that five-year max extension a year ago, but thankfully that noise got shut down fast.
SGA Tried to Carry the Load, But It Wasn’t Enough
While Holmgren was struggling, SGA was out there fighting tooth and nail in Game 7, even after a tough series himself. He dropped 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting and dished out nine assists, doing everything humanly possible to keep the Thunder in it. But it wasn’t enough. The Spurs ultimately took the 111-103 win, ending the Thunder’s hopes for a repeat title. Despite that ugly finish to the season, Holmgren did make his first All-Star team and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting as a 23-year-old. That’s big time and earned him some serious leeway to remind everyone why that max extension wasn’t even a question. SGA summed it up perfectly: “The only way you can truly fail is if you don’t learn from the moment. I know the type of guy he is. And I know what type of worker he is. He’ll definitely do it.”
Good news though, the NBA schedule makers have given Holmgren a chance at immediate redemption. The Thunder and Spurs are set to play each other on opening night, October 20. You know he’s going to be fired up for that one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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