OKC’s Chet Holmgren reflects on losing Rookie of the Year to Wemby

Richard Jefferson did his best to elicit a controversial quote from Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren on a recent episode of the ex-Spurs’ podcast “Road Trippin’.”

“Do you believe,” Jefferson asked Holmgren, “that you should have been the top rookie of the year?”

Holmgren, of course, finished second to Victor Wembanyama last season. The Spurs star won unanimously, the reward for a stunning year in which the 7-foot-3 No. 1 pick averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, a league-best 3.6 blocks, 1.8 3-pointers and 1.2 steals.

In almost any other year, Holmgren would have been the clear favorite. After missing the entire 2022-23 season with a foot injury, the 7-1 center averaged 16.5 points on 53% shooting, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 3s while starting all 82 games for the Western Conference champions.

During the interview, Jefferson pointed to the Spurs’ miserable 22-60 record and stated that if Holmgren “had played for the San Antonio Spurs, the numbers he put up would have been just as ridiculous.”

“I mean, that’s just such a tough, loaded question,” Holmgren said. “To sit here and say, ‘If this, if that,’ talking about (our different) situations. Yeah, our situations were different. Like we were polar opposites. I mean, you can come up with 50 pros and cons for each of us on things outside of the stats, just like completely random things like who’s on our team, what we play for, how much attention we get.”

Holmgren added that Wembanyama was not “unfair” by being named the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year. “All credit to him for a great season,” he said.

As for his budding ‘rivalry’ with Wembanyama, Holmgren indicated that this is more of a media spectacle than the current reality.

“You want to play against really good players,” Holmgren said. “So those are obviously the most exciting types of games. But I wouldn’t get too caught up in making it more than it is. He’s a great player. And ultimately, (the debate) is just going to make more bread for the NBA, and that makes our contracts bigger. So I don’t take it personally.”