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Chet Holmgren was a monster in Rounds 1 and 2. The Thunder’s MVP of the playoffs, I wrote.
But Holmgren has a Spurs problem. It was apparent in the regular season, and even more so in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss Monday night.
In five games against the Spurs (regular season and playoffs), Holmgren is averaging 10 points per game on 37% shooting. He’s normally a 17 point-per-game scorer who shoots around 55%.
Holmgren scored eight points on 2-of-7 shooting in Game 1. Both of his makes were from 3. A 7-footer who plays 41 minutes should make at least one basket from inside the arc. Holmgren only attempted three 2-pointers and missed them all.
Longtime nemesis Victor Wembanyama wasn’t Holmgren’s primary defender, but the Spurs’ defense took Holmgren out of the game nevertheless.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was asked on Tuesday how the Thunder can get Holmgren more involved offensively.
“It’s a good question,” Daigneault said. “I think the general attacks in the offense will benefit everybody, put everybody in advantages, including him. The playoffs to this point have been a lot of that for him. He’s been very effective, and I think it’s been downstream of us running good offense.
“It’s not like we’re pushing buttons for him, it’s more like an identity thing that is feeding everybody and he’s been in the middle of that. I think if we play better collectively, he’ll be more involved and we’ll be able to get more cracks offensively.”
The Thunder got next to no offense from three of its starters. Lu Dort had five points on 1-of-6 shooting. Isaiah Hartenstein had two points on two free throws. But Holmgren’s line hurt the most.
He and the Thunder have to solve his Spurs problem.
More: Alex Caruso's rock-star Game 1 performance gives Thunder hope vs Spurs
It’s a look we rarely saw in the regular season, but the Thunder went to it in spots on Monday night. And Holmgren held up well, forcing Wembanyama into a couple of tough midrange jumpers.
And Holmgren had the huge block against Wembanyama to force overtime.
Daigneault has opted for bigger-bodied guards to defend Wembanyama. Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Lu Dort types. Kenrich Williams, even, in the regular season.
Those guys can sometimes jar the ball loose from Wemby and knock him off his spots, but if Wemby gets close to the basket, it’s over. For as strong as J-Dub is, all Wemby had to do was turn and dunk over him.
Holmgren’s length can at least bother Wembanyama. And here’s the other thing: Wembanyama gets tunnel vision when Holmgren is defending him. It goes back to the rivalry that formed years before they played in the NBA. Wembanyma tries to embarrass Holmgren, and oftentimes it backfires.
Could we see more of Holmgren defending Wembanyama in Game 2?
“Everything’s on the table,” Daigneault said. “We can’t just throw one pitch throughout the whole series. We have reasons why we approached the game the way we did last night.
“In these series, one of the things you’ve gotta do is figure out what the problems are and put the fires out pretty quickly. That’s our challenge.”
More: Fear of Victor Wembanyama cost Thunder Game 1 vs Spurs. Now, OKC must attack.
The Spurs ignored Isaiah Hartenstein when the Thunder had the ball. And when the Spurs had the ball there wasn’t a clear option as to whom Hartenstein would guard.
Daigneault pulled Hartenstein 2 minutes and 36 seconds into the game. In came Alex Caruso.
Daigneault said the quick substitution was planned as a way to match Hartenstein’s minutes with Spurs backup center Luke Kornet.
“Kornet comes in later in the first, and if you want (Hartenstein) to start and play the Kornet minutes, you’ve got to get (Hartenstein) off the court pretty quickly,” Daigneault said.
But there’s an easier way to match Hartenstein minute for minute with Kornet — have Hartenstein come off the bench like Kornet does.
We overstate the importance of a starting lineup. Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell were both closers for the Thunder in Game 1. Neither started. Hartenstein started but only played 12 minutes. Being a “starter” is mainly a status thing.
But we’ve seen Daigneault shake things up before. If he does make a change, Caruso, Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell are the likely candidates to start in Hartenstein’s place. My guess would be Wallace gets the nod.
More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steve Nash come full circle as NBA MVPs | Mussatto's Minutes
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at [email protected]. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chet Holmgren has a Spurs problem. Can Thunder solve it in time?
Continue reading...
But Holmgren has a Spurs problem. It was apparent in the regular season, and even more so in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss Monday night.
In five games against the Spurs (regular season and playoffs), Holmgren is averaging 10 points per game on 37% shooting. He’s normally a 17 point-per-game scorer who shoots around 55%.
Holmgren scored eight points on 2-of-7 shooting in Game 1. Both of his makes were from 3. A 7-footer who plays 41 minutes should make at least one basket from inside the arc. Holmgren only attempted three 2-pointers and missed them all.
Longtime nemesis Victor Wembanyama wasn’t Holmgren’s primary defender, but the Spurs’ defense took Holmgren out of the game nevertheless.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was asked on Tuesday how the Thunder can get Holmgren more involved offensively.
“It’s a good question,” Daigneault said. “I think the general attacks in the offense will benefit everybody, put everybody in advantages, including him. The playoffs to this point have been a lot of that for him. He’s been very effective, and I think it’s been downstream of us running good offense.
“It’s not like we’re pushing buttons for him, it’s more like an identity thing that is feeding everybody and he’s been in the middle of that. I think if we play better collectively, he’ll be more involved and we’ll be able to get more cracks offensively.”
The Thunder got next to no offense from three of its starters. Lu Dort had five points on 1-of-6 shooting. Isaiah Hartenstein had two points on two free throws. But Holmgren’s line hurt the most.
He and the Thunder have to solve his Spurs problem.
More: Alex Caruso's rock-star Game 1 performance gives Thunder hope vs Spurs
Will Chet Holmgren guard Victor Wembanyama more?
It’s a look we rarely saw in the regular season, but the Thunder went to it in spots on Monday night. And Holmgren held up well, forcing Wembanyama into a couple of tough midrange jumpers.
And Holmgren had the huge block against Wembanyama to force overtime.
Daigneault has opted for bigger-bodied guards to defend Wembanyama. Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Lu Dort types. Kenrich Williams, even, in the regular season.
Those guys can sometimes jar the ball loose from Wemby and knock him off his spots, but if Wemby gets close to the basket, it’s over. For as strong as J-Dub is, all Wemby had to do was turn and dunk over him.
Holmgren’s length can at least bother Wembanyama. And here’s the other thing: Wembanyama gets tunnel vision when Holmgren is defending him. It goes back to the rivalry that formed years before they played in the NBA. Wembanyma tries to embarrass Holmgren, and oftentimes it backfires.
Could we see more of Holmgren defending Wembanyama in Game 2?
“Everything’s on the table,” Daigneault said. “We can’t just throw one pitch throughout the whole series. We have reasons why we approached the game the way we did last night.
“In these series, one of the things you’ve gotta do is figure out what the problems are and put the fires out pretty quickly. That’s our challenge.”
More: Fear of Victor Wembanyama cost Thunder Game 1 vs Spurs. Now, OKC must attack.
Will Isaiah Hartenstein start vs. Spurs?
The Spurs ignored Isaiah Hartenstein when the Thunder had the ball. And when the Spurs had the ball there wasn’t a clear option as to whom Hartenstein would guard.
Daigneault pulled Hartenstein 2 minutes and 36 seconds into the game. In came Alex Caruso.
Daigneault said the quick substitution was planned as a way to match Hartenstein’s minutes with Spurs backup center Luke Kornet.
“Kornet comes in later in the first, and if you want (Hartenstein) to start and play the Kornet minutes, you’ve got to get (Hartenstein) off the court pretty quickly,” Daigneault said.
But there’s an easier way to match Hartenstein minute for minute with Kornet — have Hartenstein come off the bench like Kornet does.
We overstate the importance of a starting lineup. Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell were both closers for the Thunder in Game 1. Neither started. Hartenstein started but only played 12 minutes. Being a “starter” is mainly a status thing.
But we’ve seen Daigneault shake things up before. If he does make a change, Caruso, Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell are the likely candidates to start in Hartenstein’s place. My guess would be Wallace gets the nod.
More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steve Nash come full circle as NBA MVPs | Mussatto's Minutes
Thunder tip-ins
- Cason Wallace doesn’t give an inch on the court. Same goes for when he’s talking into a microphone. “What stands out to you about Stephon Castle’s defense?,” Wallace was asked Tuesday. “He guards the ball,” Wallace said. End scene.
- Jalen Williams, after almost a month off with a hamstring injury, played 37 minutes in Game 1. “The plan wasn’t for him to go 37 last night, it wasn’t like a specific number, but double overtime, we were trying to thread the needle of what was best for him physically to mitigate risks with that being his first game back while also trying to give ourselves the best chance to win the game,” Daigneault said.
- Daigneault added that Williams “feels pretty good today, other than being tired like every player who played a lot of minutes in that game.” The Thunder had a film session Tuesday but didn’t practice.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at [email protected]. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chet Holmgren has a Spurs problem. Can Thunder solve it in time?
Continue reading...
