Four points. In a Game 7. On the biggest stage of his young career. For Chet Holmgren, the Western Conference Finals ended not with a breakthrough performance, but with a statistical footnote he would rather forget. According to Basketball Reference, the Thunder big man became just the second All-NBA player in at least the last 50 years to score four points or fewer in a playoff Game 7 – a stunning collapse for a player expected to help lead Oklahoma City to the NBA Finals.

Adding to the sting was what happened on the other side. As Holmgren walked off the floor, Victor Wembanyama — the player forever linked to him by ROY debates and endless comparisons was celebrating a dream postseason debut, hoisting the Western Conference Finals MVP trophy and further cementing his status as the league’s next superstar. Has Holmgren’s disappointing finish changed the Thunder’s long-term outlook? While the criticism has been loud and the rumors even louder, those closest to the situation appear far less concerned about Holmgren’s future in Oklahoma City.

“Listen, the Oklahoma City Thunder believe in Chet Holmgren, and they believe in his talent,” said Tim MacMahon on NBA Today. “They believe in his character. They believe in his work ethic. He was outstanding in the first two rounds. No one’s going to remember that. That’s the way life works in the NBA. He had an awful series in this series. Circumstances are what they were. You know, he’s not supposed to be the number two option for them offensively. But this idea that it’s time to pull the plug on Chet Holmgren in Oklahoma City, I can promise you this. Sam Presti will not be taking that advice.”

Still, MacMahon’s comments do not erase the reality of what transpired in the Western Conference Finals.

Holmgren’s struggles against San Antonio were impossible to ignore, culminating in a disastrous Game 7 performance in which he managed just four points on two field-goal attempts and failed to take a single shot after the first quarter. For a player expected to be Oklahoma City’s second star, it was a startling lack of offensive impact in the season’s biggest game.

The numbers from the series paint a similarly concerning picture. Across seven games, the former Gonzaga standout averaged 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 29.8 minutes per contest. Those figures fall well short of the standard expected from a player set to begin a five-year, $239.25 million extension next season.

More importantly, the Conference Finals represented a dramatic drop-off from Holmgren’s production in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

That decline becomes even more striking when viewed against the backdrop of Holmgren’s postseason as a whole.

Before running into the Spurs, the Thunder big man had largely lived up to the billing of a franchise cornerstone. He averaged 20 points per game against the Lakers while attempting nearly 13 shots a night, then followed that up with 17.3 points per contest against the Suns on just 11 field-goal attempts per game. Throughout most of Oklahoma City’s playoff run, Holmgren combined efficiency with consistent production, shooting 60% from the field before the Conference Finals exposed him to a level of defensive pressure he had not previously faced.

The larger body of work is equally difficult to ignore. Holmgren earned the first All-Star selection of his career this season and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Victor Wembanyama. For much of the year, and for the first two rounds of the playoffs, he looked every bit like the two-way superstar Oklahoma City envisioned when it made him the No. 2 overall pick.

That’s what makes the Western Conference Finals so perplexing. Holmgren didn’t spend the season raising doubts about his ceiling; he spent it validating it. The Spurs series wasn’t representative of the player he has been for most of the year – it was the exception. The question now is whether Oklahoma City views it the same way.

The Thunder will also pay him 25% of their cap space, the same as two-time MVP teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, SGA made sure to remind everyone who Chet Holmgren truly is.

“Before Chet was here, we weren’t who we are today. We didn’t have the success we’ve had today. When he’s the best version of himself, we’re the best version of ourselves, and it’s no secret. I know how much Chet loves this game and wants to be the best version of himself out there every night. And sometimes it just doesn’t go that way.”

Chet Holmgren remained analytical while the head coach remained confident

For the past three seasons, since the 24-year-old’s arrival, OKC was the #1 seed in the West. They lost to Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks in the conference semifinals. Then they were the NBA champions and recently lost in the Conference Finals to Wemby’s Spurs. Even the Thunder head coach is not losing patience.

“Every minute Chet Holmgren’s been on the team, we’ve been the 1 seed in the Western Conference,” Mark Daigneault said Sunday, echoing the thoughts of SGA. “And it wasn’t the case before Chet was healthy.”

Even on Sunday, Chet Holmgren called for improvement over his current showing.

“There’s no running from improvement,” Holmgren said in his exit interview. “I always look at it as no matter what — good, bad, win, loss, whatever it might be — you have to continue to improve. So, that’s the mindset.”

Even MacMahon suggested that the 24-year-old will use this drubbing in the Conference Finals as motivation.

“He said it himself. ‘You can’t run from improvement.’ This was a smack in the face. He will try to use this to study the film, see how he can get better.”

While the reports from around the league suggest the Thunder should trade, the message from inside the building seems different. SGA remains confident, the coach remains confident, and Chet Holmgren wants to improve.