Chuck it, Chet (Peek)
Enjoy this sneak peek from the "Fraternizing with the Enemy" series we've partnered with Pounding the Rock to put together throughout the Thunder-Spurs Western Conference Finals. After that brutal Game 4 loss, J.R. was wondering along with a lot of NBA analysts if Chet always looks this deflated on the bench or on the court. Here's my answer:
Chet always looks haggard on the bench, because he throws that frail body around so fearlessly. The delay in action due to his bloodied finger is nothing new for OKC fans–we've even got a Twitter account dedicated to tracking whether he got hit in the face each game.
Holmgren does look extra deflated, but he is playing with incredible energy and impact on defense. Per databaller, he's been the fourth most frequent Wemby defender these playoffs; outside of racking up fouls, Holmgren has done the best job of any big trusted to guard the alien for more than 25 possessions. He's done that while also holding the rest of the Spurs rotation players not named Dylan Harper* under 50% True Shooting. San Antonio has a 106 offensive rating when Holmgren's on the court.
What it takes to exert that force on both ends, against these Spurs, is more to blame than any lack of edge or determination from Chet. But it is showing up more on offense. Also nothing new for Thunder fans: wanting Holmgren to attack as a playmaker more when the guard rotation is thin. We were upset that he only bumped his scoring average (17.1ppg on the season) up by 1.2 points when Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams were both out in February and March. Seeing it drop to 11.3 against the Spurs is...what's the word...deflating.
I don't know if it's realistic to expect him to put the ball on the floor against these guards, but he can at least be a more willing three-point shooter. He's taking the fewest threes (2.3 per game) of his career, fewer than he has against any other postseason opponent. Of course some of that's the Wemby effect, but there's no one on OKC with a higher release point to try and get those off aggressively. For a team desperate for points, a little chucking could go a long way. See: Isaiah Hartenstein flipping up a half dozen floaters in Game 4.
*De'Aaron Fox has a 62.5% TS against Chet, but that's come in a measly 4 possessions.
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