’He Didn’t Answer the Call’ — 7-Time All-Star Blasts Chet Holmgren’s Lack of ’Accountability’ After Game 7 No-Show vs. Victor Wembanyama
· Yahoo Sports
Chet Holmgren capped off a nightmarish Western Conference finals series against the San Antonio Spurs by disappearing in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 111-103 Game 7 home loss on Saturday.
Visit newsbetting.cv for more information.
After being dominated by Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama, Holmgren sidestepped a question about their individual rivalry, keeping the focus on his team. The All-Star big man’s passive comments irked former NBA star Joe Johnson, who went in on Holmgren for his lack of personal accountability following his critical no-show.
Joe Johnson Calls Out Chet Holmgren’s Timid Game 7 vs. Spurs, Postgame Deflection
Boasting home-court advantage, Holmgren and Co. had a prime opportunity to close out San Antonio and advance to their second straight NBA Finals. While OKC superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed up in Game 7, logging a game-high 35 points behind his tough bucket-getting ability, his supporting cast withered under the bright lights.
Holmgren, in particular, had a muted impact, as the 7-foot-1 big man finished with just 4 points and 4 rebounds on 1-for-2 shooting (50%), with both of his field-goal attempts coming in the contest’s first two and a half minutes.
Despite recently earning his first All-NBA selection, Holmgren repeatedly shied away from offensive opportunities, not attempting a single shot in the second half as he often lingered in the corners, bobbled passes, and showed no signs of aggressiveness.
The Thunder standout watched hopelessly as Wembanyama’s 22-point, 7-rebound effort, combined with impressive shot-making from the Spurs’ complementary players, sent his squad home.
MORE:‘Stop Calling SGA a Flopper’ — 4-Time NBA Champion Defends Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
When asked postgame about Wembanyama seemingly trying to get in his head with increased physicality, including bumps after plays, Holmgren shifted the focus back to OKC.
“At the end of the day, it’s always about us trying to win the basketball game, us as a collective, the Thunder team trying to win the basketball game, and that’s what it’s always going to be,” Holmgren said, looking dejected.
On Sunday’s edition of “Nightcap,” Johnson slammed the 2025 NBA champion’s mindset, arguing that he made life easy on Wembanyama.
“Hell, you played right into his damn hands,” Johnson began. “I don’t give a damn ’cause he blocked your shot a time or two, you gotta keep going at that man’s neck, bro, because the times that I thought Chet was catching the ball, he wasn’t even looking at the goal, man.”
The seven-time All-Star also accused Holmgren of dodging accountability for his shortcomings.
“Accountability is everything, fellas, this is what we always talk about. This is why Shai is who he is, and Chet had to know, bro, that that man had smoke with him just by the competition level,” Johnson continued.
“You can tell when you walk out there on the court or previous interactions that we’ve been into, like, bro, you’ve gotta bring it tonight. … He didn’t answer the call, fellas. He didn’t answer the call, and I don’t like all that ‘We, we’ neither. I like for you to take accountability and be like, ‘Bro, I gotta be better.'”
Across seven West finals outings, Holmgren averaged 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, shooting 51.0%. With his five-year, $239,250,000 max contract extension set to kick in next season, questions have already begun mounting about whether the Thunder may be best served to shop the 24-year-old for a more effective Wembanyama stopper this offseason.