Chet Holmgren Is On The Hot Seat After Game 1 Stinker Against Pacers
Chet Holmgren Is On The Hot Seat After Game 1 Stinker Against Pacers originally appeared on Fadeaway World.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder got their hearts broken in the final seconds of Game 1 in the NBA Finals as Tyrese Haliburton nailed a mid-range game-winner to seal the Pacers' 111-110 win. The Thunder led the game from the tip-off until there were 0.4 seconds left on the clock, and were major favorites to win the game.
Advertisement
One of the reasons why they were considered favorites to win this series was not just because of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but the Thunder's 'Big Three', i.e, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. While Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander have had a consistent Playoff run this season, Holmgren's has been a bit of a roller coaster.
He had two 20-point+ games in the Grizzlies series, none in the Nuggets series (mainly due to Jokic's matchup), three in the Timberwolves series, and has started with a 6-point game against the Pacers in Game 1. The former No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft has averaged 15.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 17 games of the 2025 playoffs so far.
Holmgren went two of nine from the floor and did not make a single three-point shot in the game. Several fans, along with troll account admins, went on social media to put Holmgren in a 'hot seat' and criticize his Game 1 performance.
"Chet Holmgren, you are disappointing," wrote an NBA fan on X.
Advertisement
"Chet Holmgren should not be able to fly under the radar for being ASS on the big stage," wrote another unhappy fan on X.
"Chet Holmgren if he wasn't 7'1" was the caption of a meme that showed Holmgren as a McDonald's worker.
"Chet Holmgren is 8ft tall for nothing, WTF" wrote another surprised basketball fan on X.
"Chet Holmgren pulled up like this just to go 2/9 and get benched in crunch time," wrote BricksCenter, a satirical rip-off of SportsCenter meant to be a troll account.
Shaquille O'Neal: Not Impressed With Chet Holmgren
Earlier this week, Shaquille O'Neal went on the Pivot Podcast and gave his honest opinion about the Thunder. He blamed the NBA media for hyping up Holmgren too fast before he reached star status and is currently a role player at best.
Advertisement
'We're all responsible for this, we give away too many titles sometimes. They got a big two, that mo***rf***ker Jay Dub is serious, he can play. The other guy's just a role player, stop it… But he's a great role player. He's a Horace Grant or Tony Kukoc, not taking away, but he's not a big three, stop it, stop it'.
O'Neal believes that Holmgren is yet to prove that he is a part of a 'Big Three' in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards, during their series with the Timberwolves, called Holmgren the game-changer for the Thunder. Therefore, a lot of expectations are riding on Holmgren's shoulders.
Next summer, Holmgren will be up for an extension. His performance in this series and the next season could decide how big a contract he gets from the Thunder. Since he will be competing with Williams for contracts expected to be in the range of $240 million+ and more, depending on factors like All-NBA selections.
Will Holmgren be able to turn things around after a rough start against the Pacers? Or will Myles Turner be too tough a match-up for him, like Jokic was? It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for Holmgren.
Advertisement
Related: "It's Not Rocket Science": Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Reacts After Tyrese Haliburton Steals Game 1 For Pacers
This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
14 minutes ago
- USA Today
Pacers vs. Thunder: Predictions, picks, odds for NBA Finals Game 7
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers have battled through the first six games of the NBA Finals, sending the series to a seventh and final game. NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 30.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 37.8 minutes per game in the series against the Pacers. It will be up to Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to lead the franchise to its second NBA championship and first since moving to Oklahoma City. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game in the series. Haliburton is expected to play in Game 7 despite a right calf strain suffered in Game 5. The injury did not appear to hinder his ability in Game 6. Pascal Siakam will be another player to watch as the Pacers look to secure their first NBA championship. He had a double-double in Game 6 with 16 points and 13 rebounds. NBA Finals picks: Thunder vs. Pacers predictions All of the NBA experts at USA TODAY Sports made their predictions for Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals: The Thunder have a 59.3% chance of winning, according to ESPN Analytics' matchup predictor. The site writes: "After extensive simulations, our model gives the Pacers a win probability of 28%, while the Thunder have a win probability of 72%." Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals Game 7 odds The Oklahoma City Thunder are favorites to win Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, according to BetMGM (odds as of 12:25 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 21): Watch the NBA Finals with Fubo NBA Finals 2025: Full schedule, times, TV channel, live streaming
NBC Sports
18 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
NBA Trade Rumors Roundup: More Kevin Durant trade rumors, including Jrue Holiday involved in deal
While other NBA trade rumors are out there, the Kevin Durant trade talks cast a shadow over everything. It is the first domino to fall, just don't expect any action until at least Monday (nobody is going to step on Game 7 of the NBA Finals and risk the wrath of the league). Still, let's start there with this roundup of rumors. Jrue Holiday part of multi-team Durant trade? Kevin Durant is the biggest name on the trade market right now. Jrue Holiday might be second, but the Celtics need to trim their salary, and there are numerous reports suggesting that Holiday could be the player on the move. Could Durant and Holiday be part of one massive trade, not for each other but as the big salaries in a huge multi-team deal? Here is Zach Lowe from the Zach Lowe Show podcast: 'The focus, for me, is on Jrue Holiday. I think there are even — I've heard there have been at least very broad discussions of three-team Durant-related trades where Jrue Holiday is … moved somewhere.' Holiday ended up in Boston — where he was a key part of their 2024 title run — because he was part of a massive deal, the Damian Lillard trade. Could something like that happen again? Just something to watch, although it's a safe bet Holiday gets traded somewhere this offseason. Durant has controlled his trade market Durant has his list of preferred landing spots — Houston, San Antonio, and Miami — and to this point has done a good job controlling the market with that request. Durant has some leverage because he only has one year remaining on his contract ($54.7 million) and can refuse to sign an extension with a team, essentially making him a rental. ESPN's Brian Windhorst laid it out well on Friday's NBA Today (hat tip Real GM): 'His trade value is depressed because he's limiting his market. He is effectively doing that. He made it very clear he wants to have agency on where he finishes his career. He is, by doing that, depressing the market and forcing himself to a certain spot. That has been very effective so far.' The problem for the Suns is that those other teams know this. The Spurs are largely out of the running because they are not coming near the Suns' asking price and are not upping their offer (reportedly based around Devin Vassell). As previously discussed here, the Rockets are patiently waiting for the market to come down on Durant and the Suns to take their Jabari Smith Jr.-based offer. And as for Miami... Heat won't put Ware in Durant trade One sticking point in the Durant to Miami trade idea is that the Heat will not include 21-year-old center Kel'el Ware in the trade, report Marc Stein and Jake Fischer at The Stein Line. Without Ware — and with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo understandably unavailable as well — the Suns will require multiple first-round picks to make this deal work, as they won't be thrilled with the players they are getting back. So far, these sides appear to be quite far apart on a deal, but talks are ongoing. Suns want 2025 first-round pick One of the things the Suns are seeking in return for a Kevin Durant trade is a high first-round pick, reports Mark Stein. That could include Toronto at No. 9 (more on them below), Houston at No. 10, San Antonio at No. 14 (although they seem unlikely to be a contender), Minnesota at No. 17, and Miami at No. 20. Whether any of those teams would include that pick remains a question mark. Jakob Poeltl not available in Durant trade The Toronto Raptors are on the outside looking in at this point in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, but they remain interested and are still lurking around. It's not one of the teams on Durant's list of places he would sign an extension, but Toronto has been here and done that before, trading for Kawhi Leonard in 2018. What would a Raptors trade for KD look like? It would not involve center Jakob Poeltl, reports Michael Grange of Sportsnet in Canada. Grange notes the Suns asked about Poeltl at the trade deadline and were shot down then. He also explains the entire situation well, including the Suns using the Raptors as leverage. "[The Suns] are looking to recoup value after trading two quality starters, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, along with four unprotected first-round picks, for just over two seasons of Durant that yielded a second-round playoff exit, a first-round playoff exit, and no Play-In appearance this past season. If the Raptors are presented as having a strong offer waiting in the wings, perhaps one of Durant's preferred suitors steps up with something richer, or a team like Minnesota — another team with interest that's outside Durant's list — sweetens the pot.' The Raptors know they are being used for leverage and don't want to play that game. Toronto, like everyone else, is looking at the East next season and seeing something relatively wide open — Indiana does not strike fear in the hearts of opponents — and wants to put together a team that has a chance of a deep playoff run. Poeltl will be part of that team. Teams interested in Cody Martin Interesting note: a lot of teams have shown interest in Phoenix's Cody Martin, Marc Stein reports, adding that he may 'very well factor into any direct or multi-team deal' for Kevin Durant. The 6'5" wing averaged 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15 minutes a night off the bench for the Suns last season. Just something to monitor. Wizards want to trade up in draft One rumor flying around is that the Washington Wizards, with picks No. 6 and 18, are looking to package those and maybe a player to move up into the top five in the draft and get a point guard (reporting via Grant Afseth). Ideally that would be Dylan Harper, but the Wizards don't have the juice to pry the No. 2 pick away from the Spurs. That has turned the focus to Jeremiah Fears. The latest NBC Sports Mock Draft has Fears going to Utah at No. 5, and if Ace Bailey slips out of the top four — a real possibility — that makes it more likely that Fears goes higher. Can Washington find a deal to move up one spot and get Utah's No. 5 pick? It's something to watch.
USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
Could the Nets be the preferred destination for Rutgers' Ace Bailey?
The Brooklyn Nets head into the 2025 NBA Draft with the eighth overall pick and they could be missing out on the cream of the crop in the class. However, Brooklyn may be able to take advantage of the fact that some talented player slides in almost every draft and one such players may be indicating his preferred landing spot. "One league executive believes that Bailey, once a consensus top-three pick, probably will drop in the draft because of his agency's tactics," Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported recently when talking about Rutgers forward Ace Bailey. What makes this news interesting is that Pompey also reported that the Nets are one of the teams that would be interested in trading up for Bailey if he falls. "Bailey remains the only American-based draft prospect to not visit any teams for a workout," Pompey continued. "Another league executive believes that the agency wants Bailey to remain on the East Coast and play somewhere between Atlanta and New York." With the news that Brooklyn is one of the teams that would be interested in Bailey already known, it seems that Bailey trying to remain on the east coast could be something to monitor. Pompey also wrote that "sources say the Washington Wizards (who will select sixth), New Orleans Pelicans (seventh), and Brooklyn Nets (eighth) are interested in moving up to take him." With the assumption that Bailey prefers to play on the east coast, that still means that the Wizards could have the insane track on him, especially since they have the sixth overall pick. Despite all of the reporting on Bailey in the past few days, there isn't any indication on how many teams Bailey would be okay playing for so playing for Washington is on the table. Prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 season, Bailey was perceived as being the consensus second-best player in the class until his teammate, Dylan Harper, showed more of what he could do while playing alongside Bailey. Assuming that Bailey still has the talent that once made people wonder if he was the best player in the class, Brooklyn may be able to benefit from Bailey's projected drop.
