SGA Defends Chet Holmgren, Says 'I Carry A Lot of the Weight' for Thunder's G7 Loss to Spurs

Despite Chet Holmgren receiving the bulk of the criticism for the Oklahoma City Thunder's playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants to shoulder the blame for what happened in the series.

Speaking to Sean Gregory of TIME, Gilgeous-Alexander explained "I carry a lot of the weight" for the Thunder losing to the Spurs as part of his defense for Holmgren.

"I don't think it's on Chet," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I carry a lot of the weight. The only way you can truly fail is if you don't learn from the moment. I know the type of guy he is. And I know what type of worker he is. He'll definitely do it."

Holmgren's postseason was going fine until the Western Conference Finals. He averaged 18.6 points on 60.0 percent shooting (38.7 percent from three) and 9.1 rebounds per game in eight starts through the first two rounds.

Taking on the Spurs and frequently matched up with Victor Wembanyama on both ends of the floor greatly diminished Holmgren's output. He averaged 10.7 points on 51.0 percent shooting (27.3 percent from three) and 7.1 rebounds per contest in seven games.

Game 7, in particular, was brutal for Holmgren with four points and two field-goal attempts in 33 minutes. The performance even drew comparisons to Ben Simmons' infamous Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks in 2021.

There was even some speculation that Oklahoma City might look to trade Holmgren one year after giving him a five-year max extension, though that was quickly debunked.

Gilgeous-Alexander did all he could to help the Thunder in Game 7 after struggling for most of the series up to that point. He had 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting and nine assists, but the Spurs earned a 111-103 win to end Oklahoma City's quest for a repeat.

Despite an ugly finish to the season, Holmgren made his first All-Star team and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting as a 23-year-old. He has earned some leeway to remind everyone why his max extension after the 2024-25 season wasn't even a question for the Thunder.

The NBA schedule-makers have given Holmgren a chance to redeem himself at the start of the 2026-27 season since the Thunder and Spurs will play on opening night on Oct. 20.