The Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves in a close game late against the Eastern Conference contending Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, only to fall short in a 127-123 loss.

Chet Holmgren was tasked with guarding last season's NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who scored 35 points. Previously, Holmgren commented on the difficulty of facing the Sixers superstar. Several fans became convinced that Holmgren is better than Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama in the Rookie of the Year race recently.

Holmgren showed superstar potential on Saturday night during a game that could help his ROY chances but hurt his team's playoff chances.

Thunder's Holmgren Speaks on Need for Improvement

On Saturday, Holmgren scored 33 points of his own which led to a series of takes on his work ethic and need to improve, as shared by beat writer Brandon Rahbar.

Josh Giddey added 10 points and eight assists while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points on the night.

“It starts with those guys. They put me in position to be successful, as well as coach.” Holmgren said. “A lot of things I can clean up.”

Fans Respond to Holmgren Comments 

Fans on X reacted with candor over Holmgren's comments.

“He seemed quite pleased sharing court time with JWill (Jaylin Williams),” one fan said. Williams had eight points, five assists and six rebounds in 26 minutes for Coach Mark Daigneault's team.

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Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren with Jalen Williams saying "We got your back." Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in the background.

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Thunder's Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

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Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren with Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and Herb Jones of the Pelicans

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“Not even twenty games into his NBA career and Chet’s going head to head with the reigning league MVP,” one fan said.

“Just a special talent man.”

The final statline for Holmgren was about more than just points. His complete effort against an elite player in Embiid showed that Wembanyama could have some competition on his hands this season for the coveted Rookie of the Year honor.