NBA Podcast Says OKC Thunder Defense is 'Softer' with Holmgren

Despite solid summer league outings in 2022 and 2023, some of the NBA media still has reservations about how much of an impact Oklahoma City's rookie center will make this season.

On a recent episode of RealGM Radio, host Danny Leroux and guest Arturo Galletti talked about over-under win totals for the Western Conference in the upcoming NBA season.

After winning 40 games last year, Oklahoma City's over-under win total heading into the 2023-24 season is 44.5 games, meaning the team would have to win five more games than it did in 2022-23 to reach the over.

Of the 15 Western Conference teams, Leroux and Galletti said that Oklahoma City is one of the few teams in the West with a true No. 1 star. Despite this, both writers said that they believe the Thunder will not reach 45 wins this season. 

As other media members have pointed out over the offseason, Leroux and Galletti both mentioned that the Thunder are a very young team who is competing in a tough conference filled with talented veteran players. Leroux and Galletti also said that OKC doesn't have enough talent in the frontcourt to make a push for the over. 

"I thought the weakest part of Oklahoma City's rotation last year was kind of the four/five spots," Leroux said. "Even though big man Jaylin Williams did better than I expected, It's not like those guys were dominating."

Even with the addition of former No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren, Galletti and Leroux are pessimistic that the 7-footer can make a positive impact as a rookie. 

"Chet's interesting but I think adding Chet to the roster makes it worse, at least short term," Galletti said. 

Holmgren missed the entirety of what should have been his rookie season after suffering a foot injury during a Pro-Am game last summer. Now, Holmgren seems poised to have a stellar rookie year in 2023 after another impressive Summer League performance in July.

In his four appearances, Holmgren averaged 16.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, two assists, one steal and a whopping 3.5 blocks per game. In the 2023 Summer League, Holmgren put on a defensive showcase, swatting the ball with both hands and regularly altering shots

In his lone season at Gonzaga, Holmgren averaged 3.7 blocks per game, showing off his prowess as a rim protector.

Despite his defensive production, Leroux and Galletti think that Holmgren will take time to gel with his teammates in the Modern Frontier.

"I like Chet, but like that's going to kind of cause some issues,I think, in terms of the defense and kind of how you move around and how you incorporate these guys," Galletti said. "It's going to make their defense, I think, softer."

After their conversation, both Leroux and Galletti said that they would bet the under on OKC's 44.5 game over-under win total line.

"I think I'm a clear under on this team," Galletti concluded.

If Holmgren is able to make the impact that Thunder fans and coaches are hoping for, it would not be surprising to see Oklahoma City push for 45 or more wins. While it will not be easy for OKC to hit the over, Holmgren's addition could end up being a major boost for the Thunder, rather than a hindrance. 

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