Chet Holmgren's Game 7 dud prove Orlando Magic were right to pick Paolo Banchero

It did not take long for Chet Holmgren to be on the wrong side of things in Game 7.

Early in the first quarter, Victor Wembanyama executed a perfect give-and-go, dishing the ball to the wing before cutting quickly to the basket.

Chet Holmgren is the last line of defense. He was supposed to be the rim protector and ultimate unicorn. That was his appeal in that contested 2002 NBA Draft.

But in one fell swoop, Wembanyama simply reached over Holmgren and dunked over him.

Quite simply, in matchups between the two players in the last three years, Wembanyama has made Holmgren look and feel small, taking away all of his advantages. And this defined the Spurs' shocking Game 7 road victory.

Holmgren landed in the perfect spot with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He could play off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and on a team that was quickly becoming elite.

The addition of Jalen Williams gave the Thunder another potential leading scorer and ball-handler, allowing Holmgren to focus on cleaning up around the rim, shooting and defending.

But with Williams out for the majority of the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder needed a big game from Holmgren. Instead, he gave them . . . nothing.

His final stat line? Four points, four rebounds and just two field goal attempts. He had two blocks.

The Thunder fell to the Spurs 111-103, sending the defending champions home.

The shrinking showing stands in contrast to what the Orlando Magic have come to expect and have received from the player they ultimately picked over Holmgren.

Paolo Banchero is not a perfect player. The Magic are still trying to unlock a level of efficiency from him.

But another poor playoff performance in a big spot from Holmgren is something the Magic never worry about from Banchero. They needed a leading man and a main star. Banchero was the player who was most like that.

Just look at the 38 points he put up in the two Game 7s he has played. The players you compare Banchero to are not the players Holmgren gets compared to.

Banchero may not be Gilgeous-Alexander, but Holmgren is not Banchero either. He is a super role player who has helped the Thunder win a championship. But he is not the star player the Magic needed from that 2022 Draft.

That is why Banchero was the right pick.

Banchero is a playoff riser

The Orlando Magic's rebuild depended on finding a star player to anchor the team.

In their first round through the Lottery, they used their two picks to take Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner. Both have turned into quality players for the team, with Wagner surprisingly developing into an All-Star-level player and Suggs into a defensive dynamo.

When the Magic won the Lottery the following year, they were left with a choice in Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren or Jabari Smith Jr.

They took Banchero, believing clearly that they needed a player who could play on the ball and be a leading scorer.

He did that from the beginning. He won Rookie of the Year, averaging 20.0 points per game. And that was the worst he would be throughout his career. He looked and played like a star.

The biggest proof is that Banchero continues to show up in the Playoffs.

In three Playoff series, Banchero increased his scoring average from the regular season. He averaged 27.0 points per game in the seven-game series with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024, including 38 points in a Game 7 loss. He posted 29.4 points per game in the five-game series loss to the Boston Celtics in 2025.

Even this year, when he had a rough regular season, he averaged 26.3 points per game in the seven-game series against the Detroit Pistons. That included 45 points in Game 5 and another 38 points in Game 7.

The lowest point in his playoff career came with his 4-for-20, 17-point showing (along with 10 rebounds and six assists) in the Magic's embarrassing Game 6 loss (he was 1 for 11 in that second half). But at least there, he was still taking shots and trying to will his team to victory.

He did not deliver for his team. But he did not shrink from the spotlight either.

This is what the Magic want. They needed a star for their team to revolve around.

Banchero still has work to do to be the kind of star that leads his team to a championship. But that is the kind of player the Magic needed at that stage of their development.

It made Banchero unequivocally the right pick.

Holmgren stars in his role, but he's not the star

Chet Holmgren has a different role. It is hard to compare him directly to Paolo Banchero. Their teams ask them to do something different.

That is among the reasons why claims that the Magic made a mistake passing on Holmgren should fall flat. Banchero is simply asked to do something different. Something Holmgren is not asked to do. And something Holmgren has struggled to do when asked to do so.

Holmgren, for instance, had a 21.9 percent usage rate this season. He has never had a usage rate greater than 22.0 percent in a season. Banchero had a 27.6 percent usage rate this season, the second-lowest of his career -- he was at 27.5 percent in his rookie season.

Holmgren tallied only 23 games with 20 or more points this season. Banchero had 27 with 25 or more points.

That is simply a statement of how much they have the ball.

Holmgren entered Game 7 on Saturday, averaging a consistent 15.4 points per game for his career -- along with 1.9 blocks per game. He has a playoff usage rate of 20.1 percent.

He becomes less involved offensively in the Playoffs. And he has not showed up in some big spots for a contending Thunder team.

In last year's NBA Finals, Holmgren averaged only 12.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He has averaged 20.0 points per game in only one series -- the sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers this season.

Against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, Holmgren averaged only 12.0 points per game.

With Jalen Williams out, the Thunder needed a more reliable secondary option. Holmgren was invisible throughout the series. He topped off at 16 points in the Game 5 victory.

Holmgren is not a bad player by any means. But this postseason should put to rest any thought that the Magic would be better served with him over Banchero.

Banchero was the kind of star player the Magic needed and still need.

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