Chet Holmgren makes Victor Wembanyama disappear from the map

Chet Holmgren has shown his disinterest in the alleged rivalry with Victor Wembanyama, a narrative he considers fabricated. However, he has started strong, as demonstrated in the victory of his Oklahoma City Thunder over the San Antonio Spurs yesterday with a much better performance than the French player in the early season dynamics. 

Players like these not only attract more viewers to television but also fill the stands of the stadiums. Holmgren mentioned, "The NBA is a business, and the league has been built around the players. It's about getting people to come watch the games. And one way to do that is by promoting the players. So, I see it as a form of advertising." In their recent matchup, Holmgren stood out with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, leading the Thunder to a 105-93 victory over the Spurs. Meanwhile, Wembanyama scored only six points on 1-for-5 shooting and did not attempt any shots in the second half.

Before the game, San Antonio Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich acknowledged that Wembanyama has shown significant improvement since last year when he was also the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. "He gained more confidence this summer when he led France to a silver medal at the Olympics," Popovich commented. However, after the defeat, the coach chose not to answer questions and issued a brief statement praising the Thunder's performance and criticizing his team's lack of effort. It's worth mentioning that last season, Wembanyama had been a key factor every time the Spurs faced the Thunder, contributing to San Antonio's improved results in those matchups.

The Thunder won the first two games of the series last season, but in the third clash, Wembanyama shone with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks in a 132-118 victory for the Spurs. Holmgren also stood out with 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in that game. Although Wembanyama didn't play in the fourth game, he averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks in the three games he participated in, creating high expectations for the recent showdown at the Paycom Center.

Rivalry for the ages

The atmosphere in the stadium was tense when Wembanyama was booed during player introductions, while Chris Paul, former Thunder player, was cheered by the crowd. When both players took the court, the audience was expectant, and Holmgren thrilled fans by hitting several three-pointers early on. However, the intensity of the game diminished as the score became lopsided, with Holmgren accumulating 15 points in the first half, while Wembanyama remained at six points on 1-for-5 shooting and six rebounds.

At the end of the game, Holmgren avoided delving into the narrative of the duel with Wembanyama. "I enjoy every day being able to get up, go play basketball, take care of my family by doing it," he said. "It's what I've always wanted to do. It's what I always want to do as long as I can. And that doesn't change from game to game. But no matter what, it's always going to be Thunder against our opponent. I'm here trying to win basketball games. And that's what it's going to be every night."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Chet Holmgren hace desaparecer del mapa a Victor Wembanyama