Chet Holmgren Post Practice Media Availability | March 8, 2024 | OKC Thunder

Chet Holmgren Post Practice Media Availability | March 8, 2024 | OKC Thunder

Chad I know you know they’re going to have different personnel and and each game is different but as you guys maybe look if you have looked back at the last time that you played the heat that second half uh defensively was just Sensational anything that you noticed

About the way that you guys executed on that end of the floor in that game uh thinking back to it we had a lot of intensity uh and you know we were where we supposed we we were we were where we were supposed to be when we were

Supposed to there that’s a hell of a sence yeah that just it’s too early for that one um yeah you talk about like being where you’re supposed to be um how have you seen that evolve over the course of the season with guys in their positioning in help early and in

Attacking that part of the game um obviously it’s gotten better it’s gotten more consistent as we’ve had more reps out of it uh as we’ve messed it up and been able to watch film and figure it out practice it uh and I only expect it

To get better as we keep going um and we build more continuity with it CH I know this is the NBA you’ve come to understand the physicality all year but this might be the the worst meeting you’ve taken all year despite maybe multiple black eyes just can you describe the the physicality you

Experienced this past week and and what it left you with uh nothing that I’ve never seen before in my in my career up to this point uh you know you can’t control some of the uh unamed shots you know it just kind of happens wrong place

Wrong time stick your nose in plays it happens not too worri about you say wrong place wrong time is there is there like a skill to to dodging those those shots no cuz if you’re trying to dodge that then you’re not as focused as you

Need to be on affecting the game the way you need to affect it so it’s like uh if you get caught in the crossfire it’s just you know part of it chat this season you’ve got 100 threes you you’ve got a 100 dunks as well and coach has

Given dunks you got 100 dunks this season and I imagine a lot of those are coming off of lobs as well what’s it been like kind of building the chemistry with your guys and then being able to find you for those sort of plays uh I

Mean it’s great um you know when I can put a couple points on the board and somebody gets an assist for it you know it’s always great no matter who’s the recipient um you know we really tried to try to feed off each other and uh you

Know help each other succeed and uh you know we do that we’re a really hard team to beat are you and dub practicing those lobs to the reverse dunks is that something that’s been part of the the development plan for you as well uh no uhuh just thinking on the Fly there’s

There’s been fun banter about the the alley oops this year but that one between you and dub might have been the most important play of the game the other night just in terms of putting that game away um can you maybe just speak to like the level of seriousness

That you guys approach those sets with um in trying to generate those uh we just try to take every part of the game serious obviously we like to have fun with it that’s what it’s about uh you know nobody would want to be here if we weren’t having fun at the same time

But uh you know we we want to win games so uh we got to take things serious enough to win games but not too serious that we’re not enjoying it so CH we we talked some in Minnesota about just the open dialogue between you and Mark on

You know the challenges and stuff and just your demeanor as it comes to your approach to challenges um but that that challenge had at the end of the Phoenix game kind of almost saved that game maybe um just I wonder your thoughts on on that challenge and how far you’ve

Seen him take that that art I guess that that skill um credit to where credits due he challenged that one on his own nobody told him to challenge that one nobody even knew that we could challenge that one after review or whatever but uh you know he leans in on uh everybody else

Too you know Grant and dvo are behind the bench rewinding film and looking at it to see if we can win ones uh you know we got players on the floor telling them whether or not we can win it so it’s it’s a real team effort but uh if we can

Challenge something that can you know make a positive play uh in our favor uh you know he’s pretty aggressive with those and he’ll go challenge him uh you know almost at any time if he thinks that we can win that one so uh you know

Credit to him for uh you know going out there and calling those ones um and uh you know I think we’re going to continue to play that way you know it’s played in our favor a lot so far yeah and after that I think two days later in La he

Jokingly said that you know most teams have flares where you kind of got to stop them from trying to you know challenge everything and and the coach is more like but it but he said you know joking it that it’s kind of the inverse here do you see any truth to that that

Sentiment at all I mean yeah cuz if if we tell him to challenge stuff he challenges and what wrong all the time he’s going to stop listening to it same thing with the refs the refs go and watch film you know you bitching complaint to the refs they’re going to

Go back and watch the play you were bitching and complaining about and if you’re not right more than you’re if you’re wrong more than you’re right they’re just not going to believe you anymore so it’s like just be straight up with them uh you know the

Rest do a good job of uh doing their own homework and watching film and stuff too so uh you know we’re all just trying to be better and you know if you can help somebody be better you know it works into your favor uh rather than you know

Making them hate you or not believe you anymore what are some of the unique things that b brings to the table you know as a Defender trying to cover him uh as me defending him or him defending our team uh obviously he’s really skilled big uh athletic quick uh and

He’s very strong so uh you know he’s got a lot of things working in his favor uh you know we’re going to really have to defend him uh you know as a team tonight um you know keeping them off the glass keeping them from getting to the spots

That he wants to get to and uh you know we’re going to really have to key in on on his strengths and uh you know try and limit those last thing for me Josh just the other day was kind of talking about know Twitter seeing some of that stuff how it

Might impact him just criticism overall about his game um I wonder how you maybe grappled with that um you know this team some of these guys are kind of maybe not chronically online but they see stuff right youline sure how do you how do you gravel with with some of that stuff

Uh I mean if I don’t want to see it I just don’t go and look at it you know what I mean so it’s like it doesn’t I don’t let it that easy though yeah I mean I feel like if you’re like if there’s a a pull

In you to like go and read people talk about you then you know I feel like that’s something to work on uh it’s definitely something that like I’ve worked on cuz uh you know I’ve been in somewhat of a spotlight for a long time

Now so I kind of understand how it goes and um you know like you just have to have a good perspective about it uh I mean it comes with it you have to people who like you to people who don’t like you I don’t see how it affects my life I

Wake up and do the same thing no matter what people say about me come in here to work enjoy my my basketball time and then uh you know enjoy my life outside of it too uh not going to let it like ruin my life you know

Hear from Chet Holmgren after today’s practice.

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