The idea of a budding rivalry between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama has sparked plenty of conversation in NBA circles lately-especially after the Spurs eliminated the Thunder from the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals. But if you watched that game closely, one thing became clear: this “rivalry” might be more of a media creation than something rooted in actual on-court competition.
Let’s start with the matchup itself. Despite the narrative that Holmgren and Wembanyama are destined to be the next great big-man duel, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t treat it that way.
If he truly saw Chet as Wemby’s equal-positionally or impact-wise-you’d expect Holmgren to spend significant time defending the Spurs’ 7'5" phenom. But that wasn’t the case.
Instead, Oklahoma City had Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso taking on the bulk of the defensive work against Wembanyama. Holmgren, meanwhile, was matched up with players like Harrison Barnes down the stretch.
That’s not a knock on Chet’s ability-it’s a reflection of how the Thunder chose to deploy their personnel in a high-stakes game. And it tells you a lot about how they view Holmgren’s role defensively when it comes to guarding elite, unicorn-type bigs like Wembanyama.
Now, some fans have tried to spin Wemby’s comments about Holmgren as evidence of mutual respect, maybe even a brewing rivalry. But if you listen to what he actually said-and how he said it-it paints a different picture. Before the game, Wembanyama was asked about facing Holmgren, and he didn’t exactly lean into the hype.
“The MVP is on that court; he’s our main focus,” Wemby said, referring to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “Anybody is hard to guard when you have to help on the MVP.”
That wasn’t a dig. It was a clear, honest answer.
And if it came off as dismissive, that might just be a cultural disconnect. Wembanyama, like many international players, tends to speak in a straightforward, no-frills manner.
He’s not big on sugarcoating. He’s focused on winning games, not feeding into side narratives.
And the numbers back up his point. Wembanyama leads the Spurs in usage rate-a clear sign that he’s the focal point of everything they do.
Holmgren? He ranks third on the Thunder in usage, behind Shai and Jalen Williams.
In the semifinal game, Chet’s usage rate sat at 19.7%, even lower than Devin Vassell’s 21.2% on the Spurs. That’s not the profile of a player being treated like a franchise cornerstone-at least not yet.
Holmgren has had a strong season, no question. He even emerged as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate during a stretch when Wemby was sidelined.
But if he were truly the kind of defender who could go toe-to-toe with Wembanyama, you’d expect him to take on that challenge head-on. The Thunder didn’t see it that way.
And that decision speaks volumes.
This doesn’t mean Holmgren can’t develop into a star or that he’s not an elite young talent. But right now, Wembanyama is operating on a different level.
He’s not just a matchup problem-he’s a gameplan problem. He’s the kind of player who dictates how you build your entire defensive scheme.
And until Holmgren reaches that tier, calling this a rivalry feels premature.
For now, it’s not Chet vs. Wemby-it’s Wemby vs. everybody.