Categories: Sports

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrates how impactful Chet Holmgren has been for the Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrates how impactful Chet Holmgren has been for the Thunder originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to look like the best team in the league two games into the Playoffs. They have continued to dominate the Phoenix Suns on both ends of the floor.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be a superstar for the Thunder, but his co-star, Chet Holmgren, has also been phenomenal. SGA, who is on the verge of a second MVP, wants more people to recognize Holmgren’s impact.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants Chet Holmgren to get more recognition

For a long time, Gilgeous-Alexander has been the Thunder’s primary star player. Ever since he came over from the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster trade in 2019, SGA has maintained his status as the franchise’s best player.

Through the years, he has played with a lot of teammates. However, everything changed in the 2022 Draft when the Thunder acquired Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Now, they have become the big three on the Thunder roster.

MORE: Chet Holmgren thinks that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the runaway MVP

While Williams often gets a lot of praise due to him being a fantastic second option, Holmgren tends to shine more on the defensive end. He is one of the best rim protectors in the league, but he has become an underrated two-way star.

“He’s special, man. I’m gonna sound like a broken record, but since the day that Chet Holmgren played for Oklahoma City Thunder, we’ve been the first seed in the west. He anchors the best defense in the league,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about Holmgren’s impact for the Thunder.

With that kind of praise, it shows that Gilgeous-Alexander is not shouldering all the responsibilities. He knows and trusts his teammates to make the right plays, and Holmgren is one of the players who he trusts the most with his decisions.