Inside The Thunder

Stiles Points: No Matter What They Say, Victor Wembanyama vs Chet Holmgren Means More

Despite remaining team-oriented publicly, it is clear Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama circle their matchups against each other.

Rylan Stiles

Stiles Points: No Matter What They Say, Victor Wembanyama vs Chet Holmgren Means More
Stiles Points: No Matter What They Say, Victor Wembanyama vs Chet Holmgren Means More /
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No matter if they like it or not, Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren will forever be linked together as players. Both these unicorn big men the likes of which we have not seen, each serving their rookie seasons in the 2023-24 seasons and each hoping to spark the next great NBA dynasty. 

To this point, Wembanyama and Holmgren have said all the right things publicly about their new NBA rivalry. Earlier this season when asked about the Spurs rookie, Holmgren said "I'm worried about how to help the Thunder beat the Spurs tonight." 

The Thunder rookie often seems annoyed, or at the least uninterested in fielding questions always deflecting questions about their matchups and keeping the focus team oriented. 

While Holmgren is Saying all the right things, he is also living it out on the court remaining unselfish in these matchups to help his team edge out the Spurs in two of their three meetings this season. 

Though, even as they each try their best to have the right mindset and approach, it is clear these clashes mean a lot to them. From the Flexes, screams and bucket trading, the human nature of setting out to prove you are the best burst through the screen in undeniable fashion.  

There is nothing wrong with that, in fact, the NBA should rejoice in the fact they finally have a sustained on-court rivalry between two of the brightest young stars in the game. This is what the league is built on. Bird vs Magic, Wilt vs Russell, Dirk vs Duncan - Chet vs Wemby is next up in rivalries that will captivate a national audience and do wonders for the league. 

The two rookies can say whatever they want but actions speak louder than words. This matchup just means more. 

Stiles Points

  • Chet Holmgren surpassed 1,000 career points on Thursday against the Spurs. The Gonzaga product is now the fastest Thunder player to reach 1,000 career points (59 games) topping Russell Westbrook's 64 games. 
  • Aaron Wiggins only playing 11 minutes in a game where the team needed a spark on their defensive effort levels was a bit shocking. The Maryland product has proven time and time again to be one of the Thunder's top rotational players and has to slot into a more routine role. 
  • Jaylin Williams left this game with an injury after being rolled up on awkwardly by Cedi Osman who was hit with a charge drawn by Isaiah Joe on that play. The two off days should do the Arkansas product some good. 
  • Jalen Williams is the best blink-of-the-eye scorer late in quarters in the NBA. He manufactured both buckets of the 2-for-1 to end the third frame at the speed of light to pull OKC within two heading into the final frame. 
  • Ousmane Dieng posted a triple-double in the G League on Thursday, becoming just the fourth player in OKC Blue history to register such a stat line. Dieng continues to show signs of growth in year two. The Blue posted 160 points in that game including a massive Keyontae Johnson poster. 
  • Somehow, despite starting 2-for-9 in the opening frame, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points showing his remarkably consistent scoring ability, willing the Thunder back into this game at times sparking a second-half comeback.  

Song of the Day: Scenes from an Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel.

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Rylan Stiles
RYLAN STILES

Rylan Stiles is a credentialed media member covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hosts the Locked On Thunder Podcast, and is Lead Beat Writer for Inside the Thunder. Rylan is also an award-winning play-by-play broadcaster for the Oklahoma Sports Network. 

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