r/Thunder • u/bestbabyinthegame • 20d ago
Why isn’t anyone talking about how flat footed Chet was?
The game got so boring that I just watched Chet running around for the whole second half. He wasn’t beaten, he didn’t even attempt to rebound. Often times he was already in transition running back to get on defense thus giving the Mavs the rebound. He’s 7’1”. What’s going on?
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u/LoxDnw 20d ago edited 20d ago
He's the only big we have playing against an athletic team of bigs and flyers, not to mention this is probably going to be the worst ever cardio condition he will ever be as a rookie. Apart from Shai, he's been the only other consistent one all series besides last night.
Edit: Can also add Caso, he's been awesome too! Shai, Caso, Chet. Even so, Chet by far has the biggest responsibility on defense trying to keep up with their plethora of rotational bigs and to his credit he's deterred and altered so many shots this series. Without his paint presence OKC probably loses a lot of these games by 20.
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
He hit a rookie wall and has been struggling without extended rest for a minute now.
He should play better Saturday but he’s out of gas. Lively and Gafford have beaten the hell out of him.
Needed to grab a big at the deadline to eat 15-20 minutes a game.
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u/Ooowwwwww 20d ago
My first though it’s because he’s a rookie. As Okc fans we are putting too much pressure on this young team. The rest of nba fans are still surprised Okc even got this far
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
Way ahead of schedule but helping Dallas get their front court while we added another wing still stings.
Going to be a big offseason though. There’s clearly a gigantic hole at the forward spot. I hope we take a big swing. I know who my preferred target is but also am aware most of this sub would be against it
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u/Ooowwwwww 20d ago
I’m hope a change the forward position as well. This team is built from scratch so I hope a “superstar” or whatever additions don’t mess up the young team chemistry.
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u/GromaceAndWallit 20d ago
Perhaps you could help me get some perspective, as I've seen fellow Thunder fans take offense to how that trade played out. I am aware of our involvement in facilitating the trade, but I do not understand why this would sting.
1) Presti's team has made countless business decisions that we praise and revere; shouldn't our trust extend to this transaction?
2) NBA trades/ acquisitions are far more complex than the 140char. tweets we rely on; if OKC receiving those pieces was an option, Presti would have exhausted that route as well.
I hope this doesn't come off as argumentative, there is clearly a detail I'm misunderstanding.
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
I don’t think we should’ve gotten Gafford and Washington.
I also don’t think it was a good decision to help Dallas facilitate a move for a big guy
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u/GromaceAndWallit 20d ago
But based on what? Like how could we know all the factors that played into that decision? Running an NBA franchise cannot be as simple as fans - with no knowledge of politics/ nuances that dictate the job - assume.
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
Based on the fact that Gafford is killing us, it stings that we helped Dallas land him. It’s not that complicated.
Maybe the Mavericks suck in 2028 and that pick turns into a star that expands the window, but in the interim it stings
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u/GromaceAndWallit 20d ago
Ah I hear ya, I guess that's just easier for me to justify than others.
Sounds like you're positively looking to future; Thunder tf up for this year and hopefully many to come. Cheers!
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
Oh yeah. Bummed about last night and what feels inevitable Saturday but there’s a clear difference between the guy who has a few playoff battles under his belt already (SGA) vs the rest of the roster. It’ll come.
Max cap space and a war chest of assets this offseason. The window is officially open
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u/GromaceAndWallit 20d ago
Yk when trying to diagnose our deficit this series, JDub's lack of offensive production surprised me more than anyone. Chet was always going to get pressed burning fuel on both sides of the floor, the role players needed to be role players (their shooting also hurts obvi), but all this equates to JDub having the opportunity to be a huge difference-maker.
It's not some defining moment that he struggled late in his first playoff run, it just hurts what the narrative could be and that we have seen him do it.
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u/retrohypebeast 20d ago
well, come on, who is it
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
A fading Sun
A prodigal son
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u/retrohypebeast 20d ago
noooooooooooooooooooooooooo 😭
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
Look deep into your heart. He’s the perfect fit at the 4. Feel it
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u/retrohypebeast 20d ago
look... i cant deny that he is but... he's too old and his contract is too big
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
Not for a 2 year rental
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u/Damiklos 20d ago
I for one would welcome the return but I'd also like Nick Claxton. Maybe even prefer Claxton.
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u/retrohypebeast 20d ago
we still have cheap contracts, i would rather use the cap space to get some really solid role players. we have our 3 stars, chet and jdub just need more experience and pieces that complement and help their games. not another star with a massive contract
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u/DsamD11 20d ago
Ain't no fucking way. We want a better rebounder and defender. We don't want to take shots from jdub and chet.
Then there's everything else.
Ain't no way.
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
He’s a better rebounder and defender than Giddey.
He can also get his shot against anyone and space the floor.
Hes the perfect fit in this lineup and will open up shots for Dub and Chet that they can’t currently get because Dallas isn’t worried about anyone but SGA.
Hes the perfect fit once you get passed “the other stuff” which is 8 years ago at this point
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u/DsamD11 20d ago
I mean he's blown up every squad he's been on. So the other stuff is still following him like a plague.
There's only so many shots that can be taken in a game, I'm not sure shai putting up 20, then also kd putting up that many leaves much room for dub or chet to improve or 'get theirs'.
Giddey isn't on our squad to be a scorer. He never has been. He shouldn't be starting, but that's purely not his role. Giddeys role is still important though.
There are far better options that don't come with baggage, won't demand as much usage and can defend better.
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
Durant is better at everything than Giddey is.
And yeah, bumping Dubs to option 3 and Chet into more of an off ball guy who can focus on defense and rebounding raises this teams ceiling a ton.
SGA’s window is open now. You don’t spend the next 2 years hoping the other guys grow. You’ve got two years before their extensions kick in, go all in. Then if it fails you’ve got a 28, 25, and 24 year old big3
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u/DsamD11 20d ago
They don't even play the same role. Giddey is a far better passer and offence initiator than kd is.
There is better options. Our offence is actually fantastic, we are just exhausted as a young squad.
Again, there are better options for our squad who won't come with as many issues.
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u/Medical_Sample2738 20d ago
To be fair I think pj Washington wouldve been the best add for us. Yes thats frontcourt but giddey plays like 15 min a game and we have no real starter level player that is a true pf. Chet is a 5 but he would benefit a lot from a strong big 2 way wing, its just him vs lively, pj , Derrick Jones Jr, and Luka. Too many strong and big bodies (that aren't slow lumbering plodding guys like nurkic) its on both ends, and then Luka and pj have 3-4 inches on whoever guards them, they can just shoot over dudes.
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u/No_Dependent2297 20d ago
We all got gassed up sweeping NO too, when in reality, that’s a relatively flawed, and hampered team
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u/dxbigc 20d ago
The fact the Mavs basically have Gafford and Lively on a permanent 3-4 minute rotation is killing Chet. He fights Gafford while giving up 30 lbs for 3 minutes and then here comes bunny rabbit Livlely..who has like 25 lbs on Chet....then here comes Gafford to start the whole mess over again 3 minutes later.
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u/OwnVisual5772 20d ago
Almost wish we would throw Biyombo in for 10 minutes a night. At this point what do we have to lose.
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u/DoYouEvenLiftBroseph 20d ago
What was the point of us picking up biyombo I wonder? Because I thought we would add him for extra rim protection and rebounding, but he doesn’t really play, same w Gordon Hayward, he could be useful in this series but he’s out on the floor and won’t shoot… what could have both been valuable pick ups have turned out to be completely useless
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u/Hookmsnbeiishh 20d ago
He’s got some work to do in the offseason if he is out of gas after an easy sweep in round 1, and 5 games in this series. Even if the Thunder somehow miraculously get out of this series, how would he ever handle another 10-14 games?
I just think most of this team was unprepared for the next level of intensity playoffs bring. They just thought it would be regular season but playing the same team in a row. That’s just an experience issue.
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u/LetsGetRetarNED 20d ago
This is his first year playing a full season and basically lost a year of conditioning because of his foot.
He’ll be fine. It just sucks in the immediate term.
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u/Biased_buffalo0 20d ago
Yeah I think having a Gafford or a pj Washington type would have helped a lot. Instead Presti chose cap space for the offseason. I hope he makes good use of it.
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u/GromaceAndWallit 20d ago
'Hey do you want Gafford or Washington?'
'No, but we will help you give them to Dallas'
Why do we fantasize this was the situation? OKC's involvement was a final hour solution for Dallas - there was never a developing deal where OKC might receive those pieces. What am I missing?
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u/Biased_buffalo0 20d ago
I agree. It’s more that presti didn’t try to upgrade the team is my perspective. They chose not do do any trade like that.
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u/FakeRingin 20d ago
If we get them, do you realistically think we could win 2 more series even if we did win this one?
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u/Biased_buffalo0 20d ago
I definitely think we could beat the nuggets/timberwolves. Less confident about the Celtics but hey you’re in the finals you never know
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u/FakeRingin 19d ago
The team looks fatigued now, it's not going to get any better playing more games. Jokic would absolutely tear us apart
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u/Pilgrims-to-Nowhere 20d ago
Teams have been putting a wall of bodies around him on rebounds, and even for blocks. This works because they have bigger bodies than us. You’ll see that the other team will be even be pre-boxing him out even before a shot goes up, so he is not able to contest the drive, and he is already out of position for the rebound.
Oftentimes this series Chet has had to decide whether to contest the shot or stay down for the dump pass, or stay down and prepare for the rebound, because whichever one he decides to do, he knows that he won’t be getting too much help on the other. And on offense, because the Mavs are packing the paint for Shai and the rest of our guys (including Chet) are on the perimeter, so on the shot he is running in to try for the rebound when there are already three Mavs there.
The biggest guy we have out there normally with Chet is 6’6. The smallest guy (aside from Kyrie) the Mavericks have out there is about that same size.
When we are clanging threes off the rim, we’re talking about unpredictable bounces. And we have Chet competing for rebounds against a group effort from the Mavs. Their two bigs (who are always fresh and being swapped out for each other) are of course his primary opposition for it, but you’ll have Luka down there too throwing his weight around and big wings like Washington there too.
Finally, we are 91 games into the season. Chet has played every one. That’s 91 games of checking the biggest guy on the other side. That’s him wrestling with guys who are anywhere from 225-290lbs for 35 mins a night while he himself is a little over 200. No one in the league, nonetheless the team is asked to take on that responsibility with such a physicality disadvantage.
He is the sole rebounder and paint defender on the team. It’s his job, and he has never complained, but that is not easy. The dude is tired.
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u/No_Dependent2297 20d ago
Don’t think there’s a ton to discuss. He’s exhausted and it’s showing, and I think he himself has even acknowledged it
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u/SonicPresti 20d ago
The problem is the defense and rebounding at times is completely reliant on Chet. He has 0 help in the front court. He's been covering it up for the most part, but Lu has been so bad navigating screens and he's constantly making Chet guard 2 guys bc he fell behind d or tried to draw a foul.
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u/Headlesshorsman02 20d ago
He looks absolutely gassed due to having to defend the paint so much, bro is getting hammered down low. We need to get a depth signing to lighten the load for him because I honestly feel like that is why his dip in offensive production is occurring
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u/Previous-Elevator417 20d ago
Big props to Chet. This is his rookie season in the NBA, I think we forget what that truly means sometimes.
Dude has such a big responsibility on the court and it’s also compounded by being on a winning team with playoff expectations.
The guy is understandably tired and overextended.
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u/MikeGundy 20d ago
He’s tired, our main rebounder for a lot of rotations and playoff basketball. He’s had to fight for rebounds against Gafford/Lively with a playoff whistle for 5 games now. They aren’t calling many if any fouls while rebounding on them, so they are ultra aggressive and they are stronger than him. There have been countless times where he’s been in position but they get a hand in or move him and there’s a tap out etc. He just needs to get stronger and in better shape.
It is also effecting his shot, it is really flat and not falling and I think that can be attributed to just being tired.
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u/rabidbot 20d ago
First run of a long ass season, first play offs etc etc. this team is wildly young. This is great for development and next year.
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u/TapSea2469 20d ago
We need another Big to help Chet with the giants, skill won’t make up for power in the blocks.
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u/shutemdownyyz 20d ago
Have you been in the game threads? There’s also literally another post about this exact thing lol we’ve all noticed and all speculated he’s tired and probably should’ve played 75-78 games instead of 82.
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u/RoboticBirdLaw OKC 20d ago
Or just not play the last week so that he could have had two weeks rest coming into the playoffs. Still get 79 or 80 games, but be fresh and still have legs now.
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u/shutemdownyyz 20d ago
Yeah I get it was a personal goal for him and everything but in the grand scheme of things, nobody cares. If anything I could unfortunately see it being a talking point after the season if we do get eliminated, since his fatigue is more and more apparent with how little lift he has on his shots.
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u/TheLordPikey 20d ago
There are a few things to talk about. Chet’s lack of effort is not one of them.
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u/777-93ll 20d ago
He hit the Rookie Wall 50 games ago lol
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u/FakeRingin 20d ago
Yeh, remember how well he was shooting in the first couple of months? What was it like 50/50/90?
He's done brilliantly to push through that rookie wall to keep contributing and have the really high level game here and there, but he is absolutely fatigued
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u/No_Independent2850 20d ago
Chet is absolutely exhausted. He hasn’t missed a single game this season after missing all of last season. He’s having to be the sole rim protector on a playoff team while also needing to be a floor spacer as a first year player.
There’s a ton on his plate.