“It sucks shedding and it’s arduous for that to not overshadow the whole lot else.”
That was the tone of Chet Holmgren’s season-ending media session on Sunday, someday after the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder misplaced Sport 7 of the Western Convention Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, ending a 64-win season that started with championship expectations.
Holmgren repeatedly returned to accountability, improvement and perspective when discussing a Thunder crew that completed first within the Western Convention however fell brief towards a Spurs group he described as not like some other opponent.
“I feel there was quite a lot of resilience from all the fellows,” Holmgren stated when reflecting on Oklahoma Metropolis’s season. “As a crew we had our challenges and adversities and actually nice moments and I really feel like everyone individually had those self same issues. Total I feel I’m simply pleased with the struggle that we had as a crew all 12 months.”
The Thunder opened the season 24-1 and completed with the NBA’s greatest report earlier than advancing by the playoffs with collection wins over the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Oklahoma Metropolis then pushed San Antonio to seven video games earlier than losing 111-103 at home in Game 7.
Holmgren averaged 14.9 factors, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks throughout 15 playoff video games whereas taking pictures 56.8% from the sector. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old acknowledged that his Western Convention Finals efficiency didn’t meet his requirements.
“I really feel prefer it comes right down to wanting on the tape, determining the place I can enhance individually, after which trusting my work by the offseason,” Holmgren stated when requested how he would stop the same end result.
The massive man additionally addressed a noticeable drop in his offensive involvement through the Spurs collection, the place he noticed fewer shot makes an attempt and three-point appears.
“A part of it’s being closed out heavy too,” Holmgren stated. “And likewise form of simply being a bit of bit out of rhythm at instances. There have been undoubtedly alternatives to get extra makes an attempt up that I didn’t within the second. And that’s an space to enhance.”
Holmgren framed improvement as an ongoing course of fairly than a response to at least one playoff loss.
“I feel it’s each,” he stated when requested whether or not enchancment comes from refining present strengths or including new abilities. “Regardless of how good you’re at one thing, you’ll be able to all the time enhance. No person’s excellent at any talent.”
The Spurs matchup additionally stood out due to how completely different the problem regarded in contrast with most opponents. Holmgren pointed to San Antonio’s personnel and magnificence as one thing Oklahoma Metropolis couldn’t method in routine trend.
“I undoubtedly suppose that they’re completely different when it comes to I don’t suppose there’s one other crew that has their play fashion, their personnel,” Holmgren stated. “You possibly can’t simply form of play like a base regular that is what we form of do on a mean Tuesday night time kind of factor.”
Regardless of the frustration, Holmgren urged expertise has modified how he processes setbacks in contrast with earlier in his profession.
“The longer you reside the times begin to really feel shorter since you’ve lived so many,” Holmgren stated. “It’s the identical factor with errors. In the event you’ve solely ever made one mistake, that mistake most likely feels so heavy and really easy to dwell on, however as you make extra errors, you be taught that there are alternatives to be taught from and enhance from.”
Holmgren closed with a easy evaluation of playoff defeat and the problem forward.
“Shedding isn’t enjoyable,” he stated. “However I undoubtedly really feel like I’ve gotten higher at with the ability to take a loss for what it’s, have a look at it objectively fairly than emotionally after which attempt to determine it out and work ahead from there.”
