Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't mince words regarding Chet Holmgren's importance to the Oklahoma City Thunder after the 7-footer finished with just four points in Saturday's Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
"We need Chet," Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters during the team's exit interviews Sunday, including Anthony Slater of ESPN. "We need Chet Holmgren.
"Before Chet was here, we weren't who we are today. We didn't have the success we have today. When he's the best version of himself, we're the best version of ourselves, and it's no secret. We need Chet."
Holmgren, 24, attempted just two shots in the decisive Western Conference finals contest while being held to four rebounds in nearly 33 minutes. The performance capped a difficult series for the center, whose 10.7 points per game against San Antonio were well below the 18.6 he averaged during the Thunder's eight prior postseason games.
The 2022 second overall pick had never recorded fewer than six shots in 47 career playoff matchups entering Saturday. The only other time he managed two or fewer field-goal attempts in a game was March 27, 2024, when he fouled out after 18 minutes in an overtime loss to the Houston Rockets during his rookie campaign. However, that season was also the first time in over a decade that Oklahoma City finished the regular season atop the Western Conference, a feat it has now pulled off in three straight seasons.
"Every minute Chet Holmgren has been on the team, we've been the 1-seed in the Western Conference," head coach Mark Daigneault said Sunday.
Holmgren, who earned his first All-NBA, All-Defensive, and All-Star selections this season, said he appreciated the praise from Gilgeous-Alexander and Daigneault.
"It's always great to have support from people that are not only great people but are as talented as they are at what they do," Holmgren said, courtesy of Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire. "It's always inspiring to see their lead and try to follow that."
