May 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrate after a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter during game two of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Do Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander Have What It Takes To Be One Of The Best Guard-Big Duos?

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Grayson Buchanan | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 11:59 AM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder are headlined by big-time players up and down their roster. Additionally, with the addition of NBA Champions to their resumes, these players have grown in respect and popularity.

Two of the go-to guys for OKC are big man Chet Holmgren and point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. These two have become household names in the NBA, as Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and Holmgren has proven himself as one of the brightest young stars in the league.

The scary thing for the rest of the league is how well they complement one another. Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best in the league at driving to the basket and scoring from midrange. This causes defenses to collapse on him and leaves the 7-foot-1 big man open to score.

Holmgren isn’t restricted to just scoring in the paint either. The big man shot 37.9% from three last year, which ranks better than a majority of players such as LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard. His ability to knock down a three is a threat coming off pick-and-rolls. The defense has to guess if Holmgren will roll or flare out for a triple, and either guess will make the defender wrong.

Holmgren’s dominance also opens up the court for Gilgeous-Alexander. With Holmgren’s guard-like ability to space the floor, Gilgeous-Alexander has more room to work and has easier lanes to drive. Then, when the defense collapses the paint, he can easily make a pull-up jumper.

Chet's pick-and-pop triple.
SGA's pullup jumper.

OKC ties the game at 70 early in the 3rd quarter on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/KPz8UgiY6u
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To be considered one of the best guard-big duos, the two Thunder players have steep competition. They have to compete with the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain and John Stockton and Karl Malone. Although it’s a tall task, the OKC duo is already putting in the work to rise to the top of the list.

In their time of playing together, Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander have a plus/minus of +677 when on the court at the same time. This stat gets even crazier once you realize they haven’t even played two full seasons together.

The duo is set up for the future as well. Both Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander were given contract extensions this summer, keeping them together all the way through the 2030-2031 NBA season. With so much time left for them to gel, one can only imagine what these two players will accomplish together.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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