OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 43 points en route to his team’s 128-120 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 25-year-old went 15-22 from the field and also had 7 assists and 6 rebounds on the night. The Thunder started quickly and never allowed the Cavs back into the game.
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Rookie Chet Holmgren continued his impressive start to the season and returned with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He ended up joining SGA’s post-match press conference leading to a hilarious exchange between the two players. Holmgren made his media debut with a question about defenders’ inability to guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“How does it feel to know nobody can guard you?” Chet wanted to know.
Shai, however, had a hilarious response, and quickly asked for the “next question.” He then wished his teammate a “good night,” and seemed to struggle to contain his laughter. “Next question. Night Chet!”, SGA said.
Holmgren, who missed his entire first season in the NBA owing to injury, has been tipped to be Victor Wembannyama’s biggest rival in the race for the Rookie of the Year award. Holmgren’s question brought forth laughter not just from Shai, but also from the rest of the media as well.
Rookie Thunder reporter Chet Holmgren made his debut tonight
Chet asked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, “How does it feel to know nobody can guard you?”
Shai:”Next question.”
Tough first question experience for the rook pic.twitter.com/uPzkMG1qXS
— Michael Martin (@MichaelOnSports) November 9, 2023
The clip was shared on Twitter by Sellout Crowd’s Michael Martin. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander eventually used the conference to explain what went behind his team’s impressive win against the Cavs. The Cavaliers themselves have multiple young stars who were kept at bay for most of the night by the likes of SGA and Holmgren.
Claiming to have a quicker game than their opposition, SGA explained that his team’s chemistry allowed them to create good looks on the basket the entire night. The OKC Thunder will now take on the Sacramento Kings before a showdown against the offensively-stacked Phoenix Suns.
Chet Holmgren continues his impressive OKC Thunder form in the post-game conference
Holmgren has, as expected, begun the season in impressive form. Alongside Wemby, he is seen as a potentially generational player with a unique skill set. Perfectly capable of scoring against physical defenders, Holmgren has gone from strength to strength and continues to impress every game.
He is 2nd after Wembanyama in the ROTY race until now and can be expected to compete with the Spurs rookie right till the end of the season. Averaging 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, Holmgren is one of the major reasons why the OKC Thunder have managed a 5-3 winning start to their season.
Of course, considering his potential and growing influence, the numbers can only be expected to improve in the coming time.
