Victor Wembanyama just played his first NBA Finals. He lost in five games. And now, the haters are out — armed with a stat that conveniently leaves out all the context.
Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire took to X (formerly Twitter) during San Antonio’s Game 5 loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday night and pointed out that Wembanyama shot just 42.3 percent from the field in the Finals. The comparison? Chet Holmgren, who shot 51 percent in the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs.
The implication is clear: Holmgren is the more efficient player. But the numbers don’t tell the full story.
The Context That Stat Leaves Out
Holmgren shot 51 percent in the WCF largely because he stopped shooting. In Game 7 — the elimination game that sent the Thunder home — Holmgren attempted just two field goals. He made one. That’s technically 50 percent, but it’s also a player who disappeared offensively when his team needed him most.
Wembanyama, meanwhile, was aggressive all series long against the Knicks, hunting his shot even as the veteran New York defense swarmed him. He attempted more than twice as many shots per game as Holmgren did in the conference finals. Efficiency drops when volume rises — especially against a Knicks defense built to frustrate star players.
Why Thunder Fans Are Clinging to This
The truth is, Oklahoma City fans and media are looking for reasons to feel better about a painful reality: the Thunder lost in seven games to a Spurs team that then got smoked in five in the Finals. That stings. And when a team you just lost to gets exposed on the biggest stage, the temptation is to say, “We would have done better” — even if there’s no way to prove it.
Many observers believe the Thunder, if fully healthy, would have given the Knicks a tougher series. Oklahoma City’s late-game execution issues are less severe than San Antonio’s meltdowns against New York’s veteran poise. But that’s speculation, not fact.
What’s Next for the Thunder
This offseason, the Thunder are expected to tinker around the edges rather than make a blockbuster trade. The core is young and talented. The front office believes continuity and health are the missing pieces. Fans, though, will spend the summer looking for any stat — however misleading — that suggests the gap between OKC and a championship is smaller than it actually looks.
Wembanyama, for his part, just turned 22. He’s already played in an NBA Finals. The stat-wars with Holmgren are only beginning.
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