Kendrick Perkins explains why Chet Holmgren is the 'White KG': "He can have a better career than Victor Wembanyama"
Victor Wembanyama versus Chet Holmgren is fast becoming the next big-man rivalry in the NBA. The 7'4" Wemby and 7'1" Chet are two of the best young bigs in the league today. Last season, they battled toe-to-toe for the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year award, with Victor winning the Wilt Chamberlain trophy as the league's top first-year performer.
Wembanyama is also often talked about as the future of the game with his otherworldly combination of big-man size and small-man skills. But if you look closely at Chet, he is just as good or even better than Victor, minus the hype.
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins thinks the OKC Thunder center can out-trump the San Antonio Spurs sophomore sensation.
"He takes matchups personally," said Perkins of Holmgren. "He's not afraid to guard. So I'm looking at Chet, I'm like, one, Chet is just as skilled as Victor. He's more physical. He has more dog in him, in my opinion, and he's more polished at this point."
Holmgren outplayed Jokic on opening night
Wemby and Chet have similar skill sets and play similar games. However, the difference between the two is that while Victor loves to play like a guard or a wing player, Holmgren embraces his role as a big man. Despite his lean frame, the Gonzaga standout is not afraid of contact and does not fear guarding anybody on the defensive end.
Perkins controversially referred to Chet as the "white version of Kevin Garnett" after the former Bulldog outplayed three-time MVP Nikola Jokic during the Thunder's opening night showdown against the Denver Nuggets. In that game, "Joker" registered a triple-double, but Holmgren logged 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and four blocks in 36 minutes of action, plus the highlight play of the night.
"So I think as much as we hype up and talk, because and rightfully so, with the potential of Victor Wembanyama, Chet is looking him eye to eye. So absolutely, he could have a better career than Victor Wembanyama," added Perk.
Better than Wemby?
Because of the hype surrounding him, many perceive Victor as better than Holmgren. If you look at their numbers outright, Wembanyama always has better stats because he can do anything he wants on a rebuilding Spurs. Meanwhile, Chet plays alongside one of the best players in the NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. So, to put up the numbers that he has may even be more impressive.
Holmgren is the much more efficient three-ball shooter at 36.5% against 31.3%, and it's not that Chet isn't shooting many threes because he's putting up 4.2 three-point attempts per game versus Wemby's 5.7 triples per game. The Minnesota native is also shooting 53.0 percent from the field, while the Frenchman is at 46.1 percent. OKC's big man has a career average of 1.7 turnovers per game, while the Spurs gem is committing 3.6 turnovers per contest in his career.
There is no question that Wembanyama is a once-in-a-generation talent, but so is Holmgren. And if you take away all the media hype, Chet may be just as extra-terrestrial as Victor. Or, as Perk said, even better.
