Can Holmgren and Williams Unlock the Thunder’s Game 2 Revival?

Holmgren shot 2-of-8 within four feet of the rim in Game 1, finishing the night with six points on nine shot attempts. It was a night where Daigneault leaned more into Isaiah Hartenstein (9 points on 3-of-5 shooting, plus 9 rebounds).LEARN MORE

OKLAHOMA CITY — You know, stepping into the NBA Finals, the buzz around the Thunder was electric — MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander held no doubts, and the team’s defense? It wasn’t just talk; it delivered punch for punch. Yet, beneath that confidence, a nagging question from last year’s playoffs crept back in: Could Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren truly rise to the occasion as sterling number two and three pillars for a title chase? Game 1 wasn’t the highlight reel they hoped for—an 8-for-28 combined shooting effort and defensive slips showed cracks in their armor. Now, facing Game 2, the spotlight is glaring brighter than ever. For Oklahoma City to claw back and even the series, Williams and Holmgren need not just a bounce-back, but a statement. As Coach Mark Daigneault wisely put it, these young players have been thrust into a crucible few third-year athletes encounter — performing on this stage is no small feat. Still, the path forward is clear: shake off the jitters, tighten the screws, and step up. The pressure’s not just on them; it’s a privilege, and the Thunder’s hopes rest squarely on their shoulders.They were not in Game 1. They shot a combined 8-of-28, and they had some defensive lapses.Williams played down the idea of being a third-year player mattering.”[Holmgren] and [Williams], specifically, obviously they have carved out huge roles on our team,” OKC coach Mark Daigneault said. “Usually, delivering in the Finals is not on the curriculum for third-year players, and they have thrust themselves into that situation, which is a credit to them. And now that they are here, they have to continue to do what they have done all the way through the playoffs…OKLAHOMA CITY — Any doubts about the Thunder entering the playoffs seemed to have been wiped away before the NBA Finals tipped off. Nobody had really questioned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Thunder defense had more than lived up to its fearsome reputation.

“I don’t ever think that I’m in my third year because then that allows me to make excuses. I should just go out there and play. Pressure is a privilege,” Williams said on the eve of Game 2. “So I enjoy being counted on and doing that, and I just think I’ve been counted on since, I feel like, last year, to be totally honest, just in regard to being there for the rest of the guys. And now we’re here in the Finals.”Perhaps the only question not entirely answered this postseason was the one that lingered from last year’s playoffs, when the Mavericks eliminated the Thunder: Were Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren good enough to be the No. 2 and 3 players on a championship team?If the Thunder are going to even this series in Game 2 Sunday night, a few things need to improve for them, but that starts with better games from Williams and Holmgren.

Holmgren’s rough shooting night

Williams put up better counting stats with 17 points, but was 6-of-19 shooting. He was respectable around the rim, hitting 5-of-9. However, he was 1-of-10 outside that range, including 1-of-4 on 3-pointers.Williams bounced back in the Thunder’s Game 7 victory, scoring 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting. What Oklahoma City needs from him in the Finals is consistency. Williams is an All-NBA player who will be offered a five-year maximum contract extension by the Thunder this summer. These games, however, are where that money and his reputation are really earned.If they don’t, the hole the Thunder find themselves in could be a lot deeper.

Williams’ rough shooting night

We’ve seen this before this postseason. Against the Nuggets, Williams showed out with 32 points on 21 shots in Game 3 (an OKC loss), but in the next three games Williams shot 2-of-13, 5-of-14 and 3-of-16, a combined 23.3%.“I feel like I could have slowed down, kind of finished some of those plays at the rim,” Holmgren said. “Obviously, it hurts in a one-point loss. One single difference on one single play could have decided the whole game…“I’d say [I went] on some of them, too quick. On the ones that involved help side, just slowing down and understanding where they are is a big thing. Some of the one-on-one plays, I wouldn’t say so much slowing down as I’d say kind of just being a little bit more under control, I guess.”All playoffs long, when the Thunder have been challenged — individually and as a team — they have responded. Expect Williams and Holmgren to bounce back with better games on Sunday night.“They haven’t always played their best game, but they always get themselves ready to play the next one. The last guy I’m worried about that is Chet.”