The Oklahoma City Thunder’s season ended in disappointment, but general manager Sam Presti made it clear he isn’t losing confidence in two of the franchise’s biggest stars.
Presti strongly defended both Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander following Oklahoma City’s seven-game playoff loss to the Spurs.
Despite Holmgren struggling throughout the series, Presti emphasized that the organization remains fully committed to the young big man.
“He drives winning on so many different levels for us,” Presti said speaking during a lengthy end-of-season media session. “He’s a first-time All-Star, second in Defensive Player of the Year, third-team All-NBA. We were sweeping our way to the Western Conference finals primarily because of his efforts in the [Lakers] series.”
Holmgren’s production dipped significantly against San Antonio, averaging just 10.7 points per game after posting 17.1 points during the regular season.
His struggles culminated in a four-point, four-rebound performance in Game 7.
Still, Presti showed little concern about the long-term outlook.
“This is a guy that is intrinsically motivated,” Presti said. “He doesn’t need people questioning him or things on the internet to drive his improvement. … He doesn’t need somebody to nudge him, he doesn’t need somebody to question him. It’s just kind of how he’s wired. So I’m not really that concerned about him.”
Presti also described Holmgren as an “underdog,” noting that skepticism has followed him throughout his basketball journey and that he remains confident the talented center is a perfect fit in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder executive later turned his attention to Gilgeous-Alexander, who continues to face criticism from some fans over his ability to draw fouls.
Presti offered one of the more memorable lines of the afternoon when discussing the reigning two-time MVP.
“He’s playing against six people,” Presti said. “He has five defenders and the sixth defender is social media. It’s a reality. He’s not going to be the last player that the machine decides to target. But nobody is going to handle it as gracefully.”
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