Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reveals he is not worried about Chet Holmgren after a grueling WCF

Chet Holmgren is well aware that he struggled against the San Antonio Spurs. As an All-NBA player, he has to deal with massive expectations, but he also must be aware of how badly he was playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a rough seven games for the OKC big man, but his team is not worried about him.

Yes, the reactions to Holmgren's passiveness in Game 7 are warranted. An All-NBA player only taking two shots is a bad look, but no one is more aware of his problems than he is. Back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has said he is rooting for Holmgren but is not at all worried.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander believes in Chet Holmgren coming back stronger

Holmgren was an All-NBA player this season because he was superb on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he scored 17.1 points per game, while on defense, he was amazing with his blocks and overall defensive presence in the paint.

Unfortunately, that did not work against Victor Wembanyama. It was a rough series for Holmgren, and it will be apparent to him that he has to live up to expectations moving forward. He will also have to match up better against Wembanyama, who seemingly has a special motivation when playing against Holmgren.

MORE: Mark Daigneault takes accountability for Chet Holmgren's struggles in the Western Conference Finals

As the team's star and leader, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about how he could help Holmgren move forward. It seems SGA is not taking a hands-on approach with his teammate because he knows that Holmgren is good enough to realize the points he has to improve on and work on them properly.

"I haven’t talked to Chet about that. I won’t. I don’t feel like I need to. I didn’t perform my greatest this series either. Chet won’t come to me with a development for the summer, you know? Chet knows how much I care about this game," Gilgeous-Alexander said about Holmgren's approach in the summer.

"I know how much Chet loves this game and how he wants to be the best version of himself out there. Sometimes, it just doesn't go that way for whatever reason it is... He’s going to be a better player because of his make-up, his talent. I don’t need to umbrella Chet. He’ll figure it out."

From an outside perspective, it does look like a healthy approach for SGA to do. He knows Chet's talent, and he knows the big man will be extra motivated to prove his doubters wrong. It will be a long summer for Holmgren and his personal team, but he has to put in the work to prove he deserves that $250 million contract that kicks in during the 2026-27 season.

More NBA news:

• Chet Holmgren is motivated to work on his game in the summer after his WCF struggles
• Lu Dort wants to commit his future to the Thunder, but that might not happen
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is clear about the Thunder's defeat to the Spurs
• Despite the loss, Cason Wallace still believes the Spurs are beatable
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants Sam Presti to keep doing his job in the offseason