OKLAHOMA CITY — Chet Holmgren paused, considering the question. Five seconds passed. Then 10. Then 15. It’s early October, and Holmgren is sitting on a table inside the Thunder practice facility, stretching his slender, 7' 1" frame to the floor. For a while, the interview is free-flowing. Holmgren talked about efforts to improve his shot in the offseason. About building more strength. Teams threw a lot of different coverages at him last season, said Holmgren, which is why he committed more time to dissecting game tape.
When the conversation shifts to another subject—Victor Wembanyama—the conversation stalls. Over the last two years, Wembanyama-Holmgren has emerged as one of the NBA’s more intriguing rivalries. They are the Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett of this era, a pair of elite, two-way, 7-footers. Wembanyama was the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year last season, finishing runner-up for MVP. Holmgren earned his first All-Star and All-NBA nods. The two clashed last spring in the Western Conference finals. Wembanyama got the better of the matchup, and the Spurs won the series.
