Chet Holmgren, defended by Victor Wembanyama Nate Billings/LaPresse

Victor Wembanyama finally had a moment to himself at the disastrous end of a miserable night. On his first date with Chet Holmgren, the divine and slender American giant, the unicorn of the Americas, the Frenchman blocked his counterpart and snatched the ball from her. But until that moment of glory it was barely the prelude to the final touch: Isaiah Joe, more alive, more sly, stole his wallet and the Frenchman ended up on the ground. With already down 111-73, time to collect oneself, so to the bench with 5 minutes remaining to contemplate, from the helplessness of not being able to participate, the resounding final corrective of the Thunder to the Spurs (123-87).

Before the game, in Wemby’s memories, just 8 points with 4/15 in field goals, 14 rebounds and 2 assists but 4 losses, Holmgren appeared in his worst memory, according to Brian Windhorst on ESPN, from when he lost the final of the 2021 U-19 World Cup against the United States (83-81). A game in which the bench left with 2:42 left and was eliminated due to fouls.

As then, the number 1 in the draft also left the bank early and any memory related to the one assigned to him as a generational rival will continue to be negative, since the number 2 in the 2022 draft has just declared his first crisis in the NBA , individually and collectively, with the San Antonio Spurs on their way to qualifying inconsequentiality this season with 6 consecutive losses. And third beating in a week after the Pacers (152-111) and the Knicks (126-105).

But, with Holmgren as obfuscated as Wemby -9 points with a 3/10 in TC, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 losses-, it was a give and take between the supporting casts of the two generational geniuses rather than a direct duel between they. And, today, Chet Holmgren has a team around him that is envious while Victor Wembanyama’s is a piece of cake.

The Frenchman has reasons to be jealous of the American. While he is lost in his gaze looking for someone to rely on in a team that does not even know how to pass the ball for now despite the mastery of the altruistic Gregg Popovich -24 assists and 24 turnovers-, Holmgren goes crazy looking at what surrounds him with so much and so good that he has, that if a sweet Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -28 points-, that if a Josh Giddey who is trading on the rise -18-, that if two enormous defenders like Luguentz Dortz and Jalen Williams in the starting quintet and the knowledge that a Euroleague MVP like Vasilije Micic can come out of the bench. Mark Daigneault’s team had it almost half resolved at halftime (58-48).

Despite the fact that with losses like those of Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones, no player in San Antonio reached 15 points, with 13 for Julian Champagne and Zach Collins, 12 for Devin Vassell and 11 for Malaki Branham in another justification of why the team Texas has the second worst attack in the NBA with an offensive rating of 106. The Spurs, despite Pops’ non-negotiable philosophy of passing and passing, do not alleviate the offensive collapse that traps Wemby.

When San Antonio finds the Frenchman, he doesn’t know how to find him, playing so directly for him that rivals guess his intentions in no time, even though each individual duel is an automatic mismatch for the former Nanterre 92, ASVEL and Metropolitans 92 player. In some ways which speaks of Oklahoma’s sufficiency, the Thunder gave up assigning Holmgren the Wemby brand for most of the game, overlapping him with Jalen Williams or Kenrich Williams or with perfectly synchronized help if individual defense was not enough.

Neither Spurs’ spacing is the best at keeping help away nor is Wemby the one that has the most mischief to receive in the low post, anticipating the opponents or making them receive in an uncomfortable position. Even Shai, a tall point guard but still up to 25 centimeters shorter than the Frenchman at 1.98, stole the ball from high up in an alley oop attempt before it reached Victor to smash the rim.

Without success or confidence on the perimeter either with his season percentage dropping -0/3 against the Thunder and 28%-, Wembanyama also fuels the problem of offensive collapse when he remains motionless in the paint without his teammates knowing how to pay attention to him. The base pair Vassell and Sochan -9 points and 4/11 shooting- were never a threat for Oklahoma.

And, meanwhile, it is a delight to watch the Thunder play, a team as loud and attacking as the sky blue their court looks when it comes to an NBA Cup game like last night. In the absence of Holmgren settling in, his backcourt partnership is a scandal, with Gilgeous-Alexander confirming the kind of player he is with the astonishing ease with which he adapted to FIBA rules in the World Cup with Canada under mentorship by Jordi Fernández.

Con un Josh Giddey aumentando su responsabilidad como manejador para liberar de responsabilidad a Shai. Un combo de bases altos -2,03 y 1,98- capaz de también volver locas a las defensas en los mismatch y que se lo está poniendo difícil con este nivel a todo un MVP de la Euroliga como Vasilije Micic para tener muchos minutos en su estreno en la NBA. Con 13 minutos de media hasta ahora, la precoz resolución del partido permitió al ex del Anadolu Efes disfrutar de hasta 19 minutos y dejar unos buenos números de 8 puntos -2/4 en tiros y 2/3 en triples-, 4 asistencias, 1 rebote y 1 robo.

Mucho equipo unos Thunder que apuntan a playoffs -quintos en el Oeste con 6-4-, mientras los Spurs siguen sin averiguar la manera de resolver la primera crisis de la temporada, antepenúltimos con 3-7.

Wembanyama cayó en su primer pulso con Chet Holmgren, menos puntos de momento que él con 15,7 por 18,6 de Wemby, pero con mucha más eficiencia que su coetáneo con un 53% en tiros y un 46% en triples por el 43% y el 28% del galo. Pero Wemby también se quedó por debajo de los 10 puntos por primera vez y se llevó su primera técnica. La primera prueba de fuego le ha llegado pronto.