OKLAHOMA CITY — The atmosphere inside Paycom Center during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win against the San Antonio Spurs was different than the average preseason opener.
The exhibition matchup was headlined by the debuts of Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. Both recent top-two picks played their first preseason game for their respective team and concluded the first of presumably several chapters of their budding rivalry.
Buy Thunder TicketsThe battle between seven-footers caught the attention of the entire NBA world, as national media and scouts across the league traveled to OKC to watch the game live.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst was one of the more notable guests at Paycom Center. The longtime sportswriter made the trip to OKC to catch both Wembanyama and Holmgren duke it out.
Following the game, Windhorst talked with Thunder Wire and gave his extensive thoughts on the Thunder. Here’s what the national media figure had to say:
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: The Thunder were one of the bigger overachievers last season and finished a win shy of the playoffs. What are your thoughts on the direction of the team?
“They have like 11 guys who would rank between No. 4 on a roster and No. 9 on a roster. Their depth built out is tremendous.
“So the question is — how many guys do they have are 1-3? Well, they got a No. 1. So they need to establish a two and a three. In a lot of ways, that’s what this season is about. Is Chet a two? Very good chance. Is Jalen Williams a three? Is Jalen Williams a four? Is Chet a three?
“And if that was the case, if the answers are there, what do you do about it? That’s why with what Sam (Presti) said on media day — which was that he’s not sure about the concept of going for it until he knows what he has. I thought that was well said.
“I do think the little bit of pressure that they have is that Shai is ready to win right now. They have him on a good contract, but he’s not really a project anymore. He’s ready to go. So they have to balance their development with the need to match his curve.”
Q: You mentioned you think SGA is a No. 1 guy, are you of the belief that this is just who he is from now on?
“Yes. No question whatsoever. Bonafide top-10 player in the league. Borderline top-five. Huge believer in him.
“He has all the tools necessary. He’s proven you don’t have to have a devastating three-point shot — although I’m not ruling out that he won’t develop that.
“He’s an absolute killer. He works on the defensive end. Low maintenance. Dream player to have.
“What you really need from somebody like that is to show that in a 50/50 playoff game, he can take you over the top. He’s beginning to show that he can do that. We won’t know for sure until he does at the highest level.
“But that game against the Americans in the World Cup — you can say whatever you want to say about the World Cup; I know it was happening at 4 a.m. — but it was the most important game Canada’s played in decades. He took the game by the throat and buried the United States. That type of performance is what separates the great players from the champions.
“That was a performance that you could do in a Game 5 of a playoff series when it’s 2-2. I know he’s got it in him. He’s got to prove it on this level but I know that it’s there.”
Q: You had the chance to watch Chet Holmgren play in his preseason debut. What were your thoughts on how he did and of him overall?
“So exciting. First off, the thing about Chet is that he has an incredible competitive edge.
“I’m not a guy who watches players when they’re in high school or college. But with Chet I did. Because he’s from Minneapolis. It’s part of the country I live in. I was very highly aware of him as a high school player.
“I’ve watched many of his high school clips — even before he got to Gonzaga. He has an incredible competitive drive. I don’t know if that’s something everybody understands about him.
“We saw it in this game tonight. He didn’t get out of his game. The battle was joined between him and Victor (Wembanyama).
“His skill level is unquestioned. His talent is unquestioned. The question for him is, can his body and his health match that? That’s what we’re going to watch.
“I have no doubts about his talent level and drive. Just because a guy is big doesn’t always mean he’s got a drive. He’s big and skilled, doesn’t mean he’s got a drive. Chet’s big, skilled and has that drive.”
Q: You mentioned Chet and JDub as potential second/third options, what do you think of Josh Giddey?
“I’m a big Josh Giddey fan. I remember being here two years ago for his first-ever game. I’ve watched him for one game and decided he had it.
“The thing about him is that he’s so incredible going downhill and getting the basket. He’s got such great size. He’s developed both hands.
“The challenge for Giddey is that Shai doesn’t shoot threes. So it’s very difficult because Giddey doesn’t shoot threes. It’s difficult to see a balance with them both out on the court.
“I think he’s more than a third guard. Of their core players, he’s the first guy up for a contract. He’ll be up for a contract and they’d be insane not to sign it.
“The question is, can Giddey find a role that works with Shai? Will Giddey be OK with that role that’s not in a lead guard capacity and how will that reflect in how they might pay him?
“I don’t think any of those pressures really hit now. But the pressure starts to hit next offseason when they have to decide whether to pay him or not. What happens there will probably determine what’s going to happen with him. They have to figure out what they’ve got in this roster and the hierarchy of what they’ve got.”
Q: Another guy also developing with this core is Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. What do you think of the job he's done so far?
“One of Mark’s mentors was a guy that I knew named Mark Osowski. He was from Leominster, MA. Mark Osowski helped raise Mark Daigneault in the game.
“So I’ve been aware of him for a long time. I’ve watched him develop as a coach, and tactically he’s excellent. It’s been really good to watch him over this last year and a half find his footing and his voice.
“He speaks and operates with much more confidence now than he did and he has earned a lot of people’s respect. This is an incredible opportunity for him. He basically got the opportunity because the Thunder needed a coach like him. Now, the Thunder are ready to win and he gets this great opportunity.
“He could’ve coached for 30 years and never had the chance to coach a team like this. One of the most valuable things to get in the NBA is not only to win but to win with a team that you built.
“That’s why what happened in Denver last year was so special. They won with a team that they built. Michael Malone had his hands dirty from that roster. Mark has that opportunity and he’s good enough to do it. With everybody, they’ve got to prove themselves in the next level. But he has passed every test so far.”
Q: So when Daigneault was first hired, what did you hear about him around the league and did you expect him to become one of the better head coaches?
“Sam went through this whole process of interviewing all these coaches and then he hired the assistant. And, frankly, the respect level for Mark was not that high in the league because he was kind of viewed as the guy Sam could control.
“He was in the middle of the beginning of this ridiculously huge rebuilding process where they had just totally flushed the team out.
“But Sam knows what he’s doing. He gave him the job for a reason.
“And I remember Brad Stevens — I talked to Brad Stevens about this — when Brad Stevens was hired, he had a horrible team and he made so many mistakes his rookie year. He got all kinds of credit but it was because nobody had expectations for him. But he will tell you that he made a ton of mistakes. He was afforded the opportunity to make those mistakes in low-stakes environments.
“So I’m sure — I’ve not talked with Mark about this — I’m sure he made a lot of mistakes. But he was able to do it in a low-stakes environment. So he’s been able to hone his craft at the highest level without the pressure to win. That has obviously been good for him.”
Q: The Thunder get mentioned a lot when it comes to potentially making win-now moves, what are your thoughts on OKC being in the market for disgruntled stars?
“I’ve talked a lot about this with Thunder officials and they’ve done win-now moves before. Paul George was a win-now move, right? They have it within them to do it but the Paul George trade didn’t exactly — I mean, it worked out. He re-signed. They got a great trade for him — but I wouldn’t say it worked out the way they thought it would. It didn’t keep Paul there…
“So I think they learned from that and I think they’re going to be more cautious going forward. I don’t think they have to do something this year. But I do think their timeline is Shai’s timeline. Their appetite for hitting the gas pedal is going to revolve around Shai…
“At some point, they’re going to have to flip this over but it doesn’t have to be a six-draft pick trade for a player. They can do it in different ways.”
Presti kinda alluded to what you’re saying during his pre-season presser, saying they'd rather see what they have with their young core before making any drastic moves.
“I think that he can say that now because he has a full set of options. I’m not sure he’s going to be able to have that luxury a year from now, but he has that luxury now.
“He should use that time he’s got. He’s handled it the right way. I think it’s the right way to handle it. But they need to be very, very mindful of Shai’s arc and they need to take advantage of this guy while he’s here.
“It’s fine at the moment. But at some point, it’s probably not going to be fine, so we’ll see. They’re in a great place right now. When I watched this game tonight and saw Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, it was like, ‘That’s a draft class right there.’
“While it’s very fun to go on the trade machine and think about how they could make a big swing, the sustainable growth that a team like Oklahoma City needs is developing those two guys.
“I don’t know how good they’re gonna be. Maybe they’re not going to be both All-Stars, but they could. I think what Sam is saying is before we go the route that everybody wants to go online, let’s see the route on what happens if we build the team through developmental ways. Kind of the way that, frankly, the Nuggets built their team.”
Q: Is there anything else you wanted to add or say about the Thunder?
“It’s a shame that the Thunder team before didn’t win a championship. They were so close. I thought they were a can’t-miss. Obviously, it didn’t work out. So they’re about to come up again. Let’s see what lessons were learned from that last experience to see if they can do it this time.”
