Enjoying one of the more decorated starts of an NBA career, Chet Holmgren had his first taste of flaming scrutiny this summer. After a four-point performance in a Game 7 loss to arch-rival Victor Wembanyama, that type of outing sticks with you for a while.
Right now, Holmgren has been meme'd to death. Despite his already-stacked resume as a one-time NBA champion, All-NBA, All-Star and DPOY runner-up — all in three seasons, by the way — he's been tarred and feathered by the NBA community for months.
Sam Presti isn't worried, though. He talked about Holmgren's upcoming big-time year. In his 2026-27 preseason press conference, he reiterated the same thoughts he had after the Oklahoma City Thunder were bounced in the 2026 Western Conference Finals.
"I'm going to go back to kind of what I said at the end of last season. Chet needs no motivation. Of everybody, this is a person who is an ultra-competitor," Presti said. "You don't see that just on court, but his preparation, his planning, his mindset for those things are elite."
If you're Holmgren, you either embrace your failures or ignore them. The Thunder hope he's leaning on the former. As disastrous as his 2026 Western Conference Finals was, I don't think it's fair to say those seven games outweigh the rest of his career work. Was it the lowest he's been? Sure. But the beauty in sports and in the NBA is that the sun will always rise for the next game. There are going to be more games to play.
"He didn't need any type of on-court motivation. He didn't play his best basketball in the series, but as I pointed out at that time, all the great players in NBA history, that's what makes them great," Presti said. "They encounter these moments, they confront them and they battle and they learn from those and get better."
The Thunder need Holmgren to dust himself off and get ready for a hopeful second NBA championship in three years. I know Ben Simmons' infamous no-layup has been compared to his four-point Game 7 outing this summer, but the difference between those two is that we already have evidence of Holmgren being an important piece to an NBA champion.
The fact of the matter is that the Thunder need Holmgren to play at his baseline level if they want to beat the San Antonio Spurs. He doesn't need to go bucket-for-bucket with Wembanyama, but he can't be a total non-factor as he was throughout their playoff series. Most project those two teams to meet in an inevitable rematch. So there's a chance of redemption.
"I'm pretty confident that's kind of the trajectory he's going to take," Presti said. "But sure, there are things he's focused on and he's worked on."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Sam Presti 'pretty confident' Chet Holmgren will enjoy redemption arc
