OKC Thunder's Chet Holmgren Weighs In on Rookie of the Year Results

Chet Holmgren gave an honest answer when asked if he should've won Rookie of the Year.

Feb 29, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) battle for position in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Much was made about Chet Holmgren’s “rivalry” with Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama throughout the NBA season. Comparisons started long ago when the two matched up in international ball, and stuck with the pair all the way into the NBA.

Those comparisons and conversations were only heightened when Holmgren’s rookie season was delayed due to an injury to match up with Wembanayama’s. That left the pair to battle it out for the NBA’s coveted Rookie of the Year award. 

Of course, Wembanyama would go onto win the award with one of the best rookie seasons of all time, but Holmgren held his own throughout the regular season. In the end, the role he played on the best team in a loaded Western Conference was his best argument. He anchored a top defense and scored the second most total points on an elite Thunder team. Wembanyama, meanwhile, put up great stats on one of the worst teams in the NBA.

Holmgren will likely have to answer questions about his fellow rookie for the rest of his career — and vice versa — but that’s just how the media is in the NBA. Earlier this week, he was asked if he should’ve won Rookie of the Year on the Road Trippin’ Show, and his answer was thoughtful.

“I mean, that’s just such a difficult, loaded question,” Holmgren said. “To sit here and say ‘If this, if that’ talking about situations, I guess our situations were different. Like polar opposites. You can come up with 50 pros and cons for each of us on things outside of statistics, like completely random things from who’s on our team, what we’re playing for,  what amount of attention is placed on us. You can come up with a million different things for each of us to try and skew decisions, but like at the end of the day, what is the criteria?”

With NBA awards, the criteria is always a point of discussion. Is it the best overall rookie or the most valuable overall rookie? Holmgren made the biggest difference on the best team, but Wembanyama was one of the best statistical rookies of all time.

“This is my thing with all NBA awards, what is the criteria? It’s all in the eye of the beholder, what Richard Jefferson believes is different than what Channing Frye believes,” Holmgren said. “It just comes down to who has more voters that believe in their side of the criteria I guess. I don’t think Wemby was unfair in winning Rookie of the Year or anything. Credit to him for a great season, and we’re not rookies anymore.”

The rivalry will continue as the Spurs improve and the Thunder continue chasing a title. Both Holmgren and Wembanyama have potential to be up there with the best players in the NBA someday.

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