MIAMI \u2014 Chet Holmgren called an audible.<\/p>\n
His Oklahoma City Thunder teammate, Lu Dort, chased Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant around a dribble handoff. Holmgren cozied up to the screen but chose not to stick with his matchup, instead switching onto Durant and calling for Dort to take center Steven Adams.<\/p>\n
This was not the game plan.<\/p>\n
Dort was supposed to chase Durant over the screen. If all went according to the blueprint, Holmgren, a 7-foot-1 defensive everythingman, would have stayed on the larger Adams. But he was feeling good. He called out the switch and followed the former MVP to the free-throw line, where Durant missed a pull-up jump shot.<\/p>\n
At the next stoppage, Jalen Williams, another stalwart inside the Thunder\u2019s stifling defense, approached head coach Mark Daigneault.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we switching?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
They were not, but guys can be in their bag even without the basketball.<\/p>\n
Ask Daigneault for Holmgren\u2019s biggest improvement since entering the NBA four seasons ago, and he mentions this concept.<\/p>\n
The Thunder give their defenders freedom to improvise. Dort will pitter-patter his feet or swipe up instead of down on a closeout, against all fundamentals, to mess with the head of a shooter. Alex Caruso will jump a passing lane in a manner no one knew possible. Big men Isaiah Hartenstein or Jaylin Williams will, out of nowhere, blitz a pick-and-roll.<\/p>\n
And now, it\u2019s Holmgren\u2019s call to decide the coverage \u2014 not every possession but every once in a while.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s developed very, very high-level tactical instincts to go with his technical instincts that he already had when he came in,\u201d Daigneault told The Athletic.<\/p>\n
Holmgren is possibly encroaching on his first All-Star appearance, not just because his scoring and efficiency are up, but also because of the defense that comes every night. He\u2019s fourth in the league in blocks per game and allows just 47.6 percent shooting on dunks and layups that he contests, third in the NBA, according to Second Spectrum. Hartenstein is second.<\/p>\n
Guys on the perimeter can sprawl for steals because a back line is there to help them. And ones down low can get creative, understanding Oklahoma City\u2019s wings and guards will suffocate ballhandlers.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s how the Thunder create this product \u2014 one where Holmgren understands the system well enough to deviate from it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you commission a piece of art \u2014 if somebody said (to Da Vinci), I want you to paint the Mona Lisa, you\u2019re telling him what you paint,\u201d Holmgren said in a recent conversation. \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna tell him to stroke the brush like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Athletic recently chatted with Holmgren for an extended film session that detailed some of his best defensive plays of late, including ones during which, in his words, he \u201cwent rogue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are his breakdowns:<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with slash. A week ago, Holmgren swatted a possible layup away from one of the NBA\u2019s high flyers, Houston Rockets swingman Amen Thompson.<\/p>\n
However, Holmgren\u2019s first reaction to the block is self-critical.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t even think I talked,\u201d he said. \u201cI just ended up going on this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holmgren\u2019s first responsibility here is transition defense. He picks up fellow All-Star center Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn, his main assignment. He doesn\u2019t swivel his head to the dribbler until Thompson goes into a pick-and-roll on the right side.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was really on my P\u2019s and Q\u2019s, I\u2019d be communicating to them, like \u2018I\u2019m low! I\u2019m low!\u2019 And then I\u2019d go make this play,\u201d Holmgren said. \u201cBut I think they kind of just recognized that I was going.\u201d<\/p>\n
The opponent allows for this play, too.<\/p>\n
The Rockets can beat teams down, but they also take the second-fewest 3-pointers of anyone in the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir spacing on the weak side isn\u2019t amazing,\u201d Holmgren said.<\/p>\n
The pick-and-roll on the left side leaves three Thunder defenders on the weak side: Holmgren on \u015eeng\u00fcn, Dort on Kevin Durant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Josh Okogie. It\u2019s the faith in Dort, who made the NBA All-Defensive First Team last season and is the only aforementioned defender who can handle a long-range threat, that allows Holmgren to go rogue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know where KD\u2019s gonna end up going, but no matter where he goes, Lu is probably not gonna leave him,\u201d Holmgren said. \u201cSo that basically leaves me and Shai in a two-man show. So it\u2019s like, if I go then Shai\u2019s the first pass guy. And it\u2019s not like it\u2019s two lethal shooters out there, so we can play that closeout game.\u201d<\/p>\n
For what it\u2019s worth, Daigneault disagrees with Holmgren\u2019s tone while analyzing this play, insisting that while Holmgren may not have called out his actions as he could have in a perfect world, he would never call the center out on it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I would say to him is, \u2018You put out plenty of fires for the rest of the team, so if they have to put out a fire for you once in a while, that\u2019s OK,\u2019\u2009\u201d Daigneault said. \u201cAs a general framework, we wanna be a team that fails aggressively. If we\u2019re gonna have a bad possession, it\u2019s because we\u2019re overaggressive rather than passive, because the upside of the aggression is higher. The cost-benefit of that will net out for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holmgren doesn\u2019t even finish watching this play before he blurts out a reaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI give more credit to Ajay on that one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ajay Mitchell is the Thunder defender who begins on the ballhandler, Brice Sensabaugh, then darts down low to break up the lob attempt to Utah Jazz power forward Taylor Hendricks. It\u2019s a ferocious hustle play, but one that doesn\u2019t occur without a unique trait of Holmgren\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Not many players have the height, length, footspeed and smarts to simultaneously guard two players on pick-and-rolls, attaching to the roller while also deterring a shot from the dribbler. Holmgren is one of the few.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t get beat,\u201d Holmgren said. \u201cI can\u2019t get caught high and give up a lob behind me. If the handler gets into a shot, if it\u2019s a running floater or a midrange, it\u2019s on the guard to contest. But if it gets within the restricted (area), then it\u2019s then I gotta (close out).<\/p>\n
\u201cAjay does a great job of seeing that and then peels to take away the lob. Now, that\u2019s Taylor Hendricks. If that\u2019s \u2026 Jaxson Hayes or Daniel Gafford, maybe it\u2019s a little different. Maybe that ball is put two feet higher, and Ajay can\u2019t get to it, but that\u2019s a great play by Ajay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, if Holmgren isn\u2019t there, maybe there isn\u2019t a lob at all.<\/p>\n
As Dort puts it, \u201cWhenever you drive and you see Chet, you kinda question yourself a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
At this point, because of his size, presence, skill set and reputation, dribblers are less likely to shoot the floater or go to the rim in those scenarios, one reason Holmgren\u2019s blocks are a smidge down this season.<\/p>\n
Holmgren understands the dynamic.<\/p>\n
A subtler way he\u2019s started freelancing is in these scenarios.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are times where it\u2019s like, you\u2019re up a little higher and almost bait them into the lob, and then you can still jump backwards and break up the path,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then there\u2019s a couple times where you bait them. Like, you\u2019re high, and then you drop, and then he\u2019s stuck. He\u2019s picked the ball up here because he was about to throw a lob. But then you jump back. It\u2019s a mind game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s return to the Houston game for another block and another example of Holmgren manning two players at once.<\/p>\n
Adams attempts one of his go-to moves as Rockets forward Jabari Smith drives to the hoop, sealing Holmgren off, hoping it will keep a potential help defender away from the dribbler. However, Holmgren\u2019s arms are too long.<\/p>\n
There is no dump-off to Adams. And clearly, there is no clean look at the basket.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a weird play because Jabari was going away from where (Adams) was trying to seal me,\u201d Holmgren said. \u201cBut Stevo does that a lot. Like, the Rockets have really weird spacing because they play a lot of non-shooters. That is one of the weirdest spacing plays that you\u2019ll ever see.\u201d<\/p>\n
But more important than cramped spacing is Holmgren\u2019s understanding of it.<\/p>\n
This is technically his fourth NBA season, though it\u2019s only the third he\u2019s played in, since he was injured during his rookie campaign. He said he understands opposing players\u2019 habits better than ever, if only because he\u2019s played against them repeatedly. Adams is a veteran.<\/p>\n
Not only is Holmgren, who resembles Gumby more than most potential All-Stars, able to bump with Adams. He\u2019s also able to anticipate his moves.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Adams) has never been a shooter, so he has different ways of eliminating the help,\u201d Holmgren said. \u201cHe basically just f\u2014\u2014 ducks you in or pushes you out of the way, pushes you out of position, or kind of just gets in your way. He keeps you from being able to get off your feet. He\u2019s got a lot of little weird wrestling tricks.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thought enters Holmgren\u2019s brain as Phoenix Suns lightning rod Dillon Brooks attacks the basket.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah, he\u2019s looking to score that s\u2014,\u201d Holmgren said before letting out a chuckle.<\/p>\n
Holmgren\u2019s quest to memorize tendencies extends beyond just the big men he most often has to guard. No one inside the Thunder has a more hybrid role than the 23-year-old does.<\/p>\n
At times, as in many of these recent clips, when Hartenstein was hurt, Holmgren would anchor the defense at center. When Hartenstein is on the court, Holmgren will slide to power forward. The Thunder anticipated this after drafting him in 2022.<\/p>\n
At the time, Holmgren\u2019s greatest strength was his ability to guard multiple positions. The team knew it could switch him onto quicker perimeter players, so it went in the opposite direction with his development. They played him in drop coverage on the back ends of pick-and-rolls.<\/p>\n
\u201c(It was) an intentional decision on our part to flood him with those reps,\u201d Daigneault said.<\/p>\n
Especially because Hartenstein wasn\u2019t yet in OKC, leaving Holmgren to play more center than he does now, 60 percent of the drop coverage Holmgren has played in his career came during his rookie season.<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s mastered the timing of it. It helps especially when he understands the opposing personnel. Once Brooks reaches below the free-throw line, Holmgren knows he\u2019s going to the rim.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of guys have very common tendencies,\u201d Holmgren said. \u201cLike, Dillon Brooks is gonna come off the screen. He\u2019s gonna try and hold you in jail (keeping his defender on his back). He\u2019s gonna snake it. And if he doesn\u2019t have an opportunity to get to the cup, he\u2019s gonna bump you and shoot a fade. Or he\u2019s gonna get it in the post; he\u2019s gonna bump you and he\u2019s gonna shoot a fade.\u201d<\/p>\n
On this play, Brooks does end up in the paint as Suns center Mark Williams, who sets the screen but lingers behind the dribbler, hangs back for a possible dump-off pass. It leads to one of Holmgren\u2019s signature moves.<\/p>\n
Holmgren will change a shot contest into a passing contest in midair, and he\u2019ll contort his body so he can do it.<\/p>\n
He has five kicked balls so far this season. They often come on plays like this one, when a driver pushes too deep into the paint, then has to whip a panicky pass to the perimeter.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe kind of got under the rim and had no look to score,\u201d Holmgren said. \u201cSo from there, I was just trying to break up the path to pass. A lot of times you\u2019ll see, I\u2019ll be leaning one way and somebody will pass it that way, and I\u2019ll kick my foot up. Like, I\u2019ll get kicked balls.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, on this play, Holmgren gets a hand on the ball instead of a foot. The Thunder, who lead the league in takeaways, create another steal.<\/p>\n
Of course, Holmgren is quick to credit others. Williams is in Brooks\u2019 grill. Gilgeous-Alexander is quick to rotate onto Williams. Even if the pass slips through Holmgren\u2019s limbs, the reigning MVP may have snagged the steal anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think anybody would wake up and feel relieved that they get to play against our defense,\u201d Holmgren said.<\/p>\n
Even after their league-best record has come down to earth in the past month, falling to 37-8, the Thunder defense remains in its own class, more than three points per 100 possessions better than any other.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn football, they used to talk about the defenders that you just have to account for. Like a D-end that can just get to the quarterback,\u201d Daigneault said. \u201cIt\u2019s like, every play the quarterback breaks the huddle, they\u2019re looking for where that guy is. \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201c(We) have multiple of that on the court together. You\u2019ve gotta do that with Caruso. You\u2019ve gotta do that with Dort. You\u2019ve gotta do it with Wallace and (Williams). Now, you gotta do it with Hartenstein and Chet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI \u2014 Chet Holmgren called an audible. His Oklahoma City Thunder teammate, Lu Dort, chased Houston Rockets star…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3783],"tags":[7,6,310,475,179,3966,3965,312],"class_list":{"0":"post-553592","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oklahoma-city-thunder","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-oklahoma","11":"tag-oklahoma-city","12":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","13":"tag-oklahomacity","14":"tag-oklahomacitythunder","15":"tag-thunder"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115939954071096604","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/553593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}