Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren matched in a battle of the big men as the players are in a heated Rookie of the Year race. The Thunder comfortably beat the Spurs as the two teams are on opposite ends of the Western Conference, but Wembanyama observed that the Thunder’s strategy of limiting the Spurs was consistently double-teaming him.
“If I have a smaller guy, it gives me some easy baskets sometimes. Matching me up with a bigger guy allows me to be faster than him. I have seen this defense before. I haven’t really played one-on-ones this year, it’s always one-on-twos.”
Spurs postgame
Asked Victor a couple of questions about how OKC guarded him as opposed to him checking Chet.
“I never really play one on one’s. It’s one on two.”
Full answers to a couple of questions…#Spurs #GoSpursGo #PorVida pic.twitter.com/oIDpFcVCGx
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) January 25, 2024
Many wanted to see Holmgren defend Wembanyama in 1-on-1 situations but that rarely happened. Even fans observed that Wembanyama was being doubled and even tripled, with such intense defensive pressure proving why he’s the true Rookie of the Year over Holmgren, who faces mostly single coverages.
“Defenses are scared of him. Again, don’t know how ROY is exactly a contest when the rookie is getting this kind of treatment from the second-best team in the Western Conference.”
Defenses are scared of him. Again, don't know how ROY is exactly a contest when the rookie is getting this kind of treatment from the second best team in the Western Conference. https://t.co/k4ejC8P2xc
— Ty Jäger (@TheTyJager) January 25, 2024
Wembanyama ended the game with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks while Holmgren put up 17 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in a 140-114 Thunder win.
Holmgren is averaging 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks this season, with his Rookie of the Year case being propelled by the Thunder being the No. 1 seed in the West. Meanwhile, Wembanyama is averaging 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks but the Spurs are bottom of the West and look far away from contention.
Chet Holmgren Comments On Battle With Victor Wembanyama To Win ROTY
Chet Holmgren had a very honest response to reporters asking him about his matchup with Wembanyama, wanting people to focus on it being the Spurs vs. Thunder instead of falling for promotional hype being put on their battles.
“It’s obviously like human nature. But to be uncommon and not just do whatever else does, you have to kind of fight that. Obviously, that’s the headline that you guys have. That’s what ESPN is promoting, that’s what the NBA is promoting, and rightfully so. Vic’s a great player. I think I have a long way to go in this league. But I plan to be a great player and play for a long time. But that doesn’t take away from what the focus is, and the focus is Thunder vs Spurs. We gotta win a basketball game. So you got to make sure you go out, compete at a high level, but do the right thing. Falling bait to the matchup can lead you to (not) make winning plays and hurt the team and I never want to be that guy.”
Chet Holmgren, asked whether his competitive edge ever sees the Vic matchup slip into his mind, sounds off: "It's obviously like human nature. But to really be uncommon and not just do whatever else does, you have to kind of fight that. Obviously that's the headline that you guys…
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) January 25, 2024
Naturally, Holmgren wants the focus to be on the team competition because that is the ultimate goal. If Holmgren was on a bad team, he likely would be able to put up gaudier numbers at the expense of wins. But he’s playing like the perfect secondary option behind MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and even slotting behind Jalen Williams when it comes to being featured.
Ultimately, both Wemby and Chet are sensational rookies and their Rookie of the Year battle will rage till the end of the season. Hopefully, it pushes them to elevate their performances instead of putting them against each other.
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