OKC Thunder's Chet Holmgren set for Tall Task in Western Conference Finals

Whichever team opposes OKC in the next round, it will be a frontcourt battle all series.

May 5, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates after a dunk against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half during game one of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

No matter which team punches its ticket to face the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, Chet Holmgren will have his work cut out for him. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have successfully claimed their spot in the conference finals, but are still waiting to find out who their opponent will be. The frontrunner for the spot is currently the San Antonio Spurs, as they lead the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-2 in the series, but Minnesota is known to come back from situations like this. 

Whichever team gets its shot at battling OKC in the Western Conference Finals will surely be more of a challenge than the Thunder’s first two rounds. Oklahoma City will have to be ready for a battle, and the Thunder’s big might have to be the most prepared of them all. 

Whether it is San Antonio or Minnesota, Holmgren will have to go head-to-head with a Defensive Player of the Year. Either matchup will be the most difficult Holmgren has faced in the playoffs, and if he performs well, he could be the one swaying the series. 

The Minnesota big man, Rudy Gobert, is tied for the most Defensive Player of the Year awards with four. He has long been one of the best defensive players in the league, as he is finishing up season No. 13. In the postseason, Gobert is averaging over a block a game, as well as almost 10 rebounds per game. 

This dominance in the paint is something that Holmgren is used to doing, and he will be in for a battle while the Thunder big man is on offense. Luckily, though, Holmgren doesn’t have to worry too much about Gobert’s offense. The Timberwolves' big man is only averaging 7.8 points in the postseason, the worst of his career. If it is the Timberwolves Oklahoma City sees, Holmgren shouldn’t have too much of an issue with Gobert, but the Spurs could be a real problem. 

San Antonio has the current Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most dominant players in the game, Victor Wembanyama. This season, he claimed the title as the first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and has kept that play up. 

Wembanyama is averaging 4.2 blocks per game and is also grabbing 11.2 boards per game. Life doesn’t get easier when he has the ball either, as he is putting up 20.4 points per game in the postseason, and is leading the young Spurs squad. 

However, Holmgren hasn’t exactly been a pushover this postseason. He is currently having the best playoff run of his career as he is averaging 18.6 points per game on 60% shooting. Plus, there was a reason he finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting this year, as he is holding down the paint himself with 1.8 blocks per game and 9.1 rebounds. 

OKC’s frontcourt has been dominant all postseason, and for them to have a sure chance at success, that will need to continue. The burden will fall mostly on Holmgren to do so in the next round, and he must be up for the challenge against a decorated opponent.