Jalen Williams explains how Chet Holmgren is a perfect addition to Thunder Defense

On Thursday, the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to the practice court to hone their skills and knock off some rust after their first-round series sweep against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Thunder will serve a seven-day suspension before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, a similar postponement before their regular-season finale and postseason opener against the Pelicans a week ago.

During practice on Thursday, the media got to talk with Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams and Mark Daigneault after their work on the field.

Williams ran to his scrum with a pep in his step in his final spot before getting his hair done after training. Gentle with his time, the Santa Clara product was asked about Chet Holmgren.

It’s no secret that Holmgren has been a key part of the Thunder’s top-five defense. Its edge protection terrifies enemies, deters drivers, and its mobility allows it to switch gears or close in on perimeter threats.

The hardest thing to do when Holmgren is on the floor is to put him in a compromised position defensively. Not only does he have natural instincts, but if you beat him off the dribble, he has the length to make up for the mistake.

His former 2022 Lottery Pick said it best: Holmgren is the missing piece to Oklahoma City’s defensive success.

“(Chet Holmgren) covers a lot on the perimeter. That was the one thing we missed last year. When you have someone with good defensive instincts like him, he’s also interested in what we’re trying to do defensively, and he’s very smart, knows when to rotate and can go outside to play guard,” Williams said. “The biggest thing is rim protection, defensive rebounding is another one… just things you can’t really teach.”

Holmgren certainly confused the Pelicans flock in the first round and helped the Thunder pull off a sweep.

Next, the Oklahoma City Thunder await the winner of the first round of the Dallas Mavericks-Los Angeles Clippers. The series begins Tuesday, May 6 at 8:30 PM CT on TNT at the Paycom Center.

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