Despite being the second-youngest team in the NBA, the Thunder were impressively calm and composed down the stretch of an intense down-to-the-wire playoff game. Although they were led by superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it was rookie sensation Chet Holmgren who put forth a historic performance.
Holmgren became the fifth player in NBA history to record 15-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and 5-plus blocks in a playoff debut, joining David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Kevin Garnett and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 7-foot-1 center played 82 games in an outstanding rookie season and set the tone for potentially a dominant opening playoff series.
In Holmgren’s first taste of postseason basketball, he didn’t display any signs of inferiority against a team that had him matched in playoff experience. Holmgren’s performance was inspiring for his teammates in many ways.
Although Holmgren made history in his playoff debut, he was still a ways away from a perfect game. Valanciunas had a huge outing with 13 points and 20 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. However, many of Valanciunas’ second chance opportunities came from Holmgren helping the helper and leaving his man to contest a shot.
Holmgren possesses such a unique skill set that he is capable of making Valanciunas unplayable. The Pelicans big man is far from the best at defending shot attempts from three-point range. Opposing players shoot 3.5 percent greater when guarded by Valanciunas on outside shots, which puts him in the bottom 10th percentile in the league. Holmgren went 2-6 from three-point range, but a higher volume and productivity in that area could force Pelicans coach Willie Green to play Larry Nance instead for more versatility and mobility on defense.
The Thunder know what they’re getting offensively from Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams as shot-creators. Holmgren remains a dominant force on defense, but completely changes this team’s trajectory with his potential offensively. Holmgren will look to continue his assertive play in Game 2 of this best-of-seven series on Wednesday, April 24 at 9:30 PM ET.
