Stiles Points: NBA Correct for Marketing Victor Wembanyama-Chet Holmgren Rivalry

The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the top matchups in the NBA Cup, a tilt between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.

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

The Oklahoma City Thunder saw their 2024-25 schedule start to trickle out as the NBA begins to unveil the docket in waves. It began on Tuesday during an episode of ESPN's NBA Today show where their panel of basketball experts unveiled the NBA Cup - formerly known as the in-season tournament - schedule which included when the Thunder will take on West's Group B.

For the second straight year, not only do the OKC Thunder find themselves in the same grouping as the San Antonio Spurs during the in-season tournament, while also pitting the two sides against each other in the preseason.

On Nov. 19 the Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs at 8:30 PM CT where No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Chet Holmgren, will battle the No. 1 pick from the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama on National TV yet again. This contest will be shown on TNT making four of their last five meetings on National TV.

In their last meeting in the In-Season Tournament on TNT, the Thunder dismantled the Spurs 123-87 which prompted Turner to pull the game off the air in favor of a more competitive contest. Throughout last season, the two sides had some great battles including in San Antonio on ESPN later in the year.

The Thunder held a 3-1 season series edge over the Spurs, but the NBA got their money's worth with these matchups. While never Holmgren not Wembanyama have thrown the other under the bus or made headlines publicly, despite saying all the right things their performance on the court sings a different tune.

It is abundantly clear that these two players take this matchup personally - while still playing within the flow of their respective teams - this makes for high-level basketball and some of the most interesting regular-season battles you can count on in the modern age. While most players sleepwalk through certain contests, that will never be the case when these two foes face off.

While the NBA is a fantastic product, something missing has been that rivalry for fans to rally around, even non-Thunder or Spurs fans will come to love these tilts, so the league marketing them during marquee events and on National Television only makes sense.

As the rest of the 82-game schedule will soon be revealed expect multiple National TV tilts between these two squads yet again.

Stiles Points

• ESPN Analyst picks OKC Thunder to win the NBA Cup during 2024-25 season.
• Cason Wallace could be the most underrated player in the Thunder's rotation.
• While both Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso are fantastic additions to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which will be dubbed the best acquisition when the season ends?
• The NBA will reveal its 82-game schedule on Thursday around 2 PM CT where everyone is set to learn a lot about the 2024-25 season. From back-to-backs, national tv games and more.
• Oklahoma City is set to compete at the highest level but their No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft will not join the club until next season as he is sidelined with an injury. What could you expect when he returns to the floor?

Song of the Day: The Old Violin by Johnny Paycheck

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