Mussatto: An NBA cold war is brewing between Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama

On one side of the court, Chet Holmgren sat with a basketball on his lap. On the other side, Victor Wembanyama practiced post-ups.

It was more than an hour before tip-off, and neither was paying attention to the other. Still, TNT’s broadcast feed positioned them side by side on a split screen.

Whether they embrace the comparison or ignore it, there’s no escaping it. Holmgren and Wembanyama were destined for dual-screen treatment. Destined for duels.

Round 1 went to Holmgren and the Thunder, which whacked Wembanyama’s Spurs 123-87 Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.

Neither played particularly well, shooting 7-of-25 combined, and they rarely defended each other. Their best matchup of the night came during the opening tip, which produced what one day might be an iconic photo of their slender frames reaching for the rafters.

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Wembanyama is three inches taller but a year and a half younger than Holmgren, and the Spurs lag seasons behind the Thunder in their rebuild.

Thunder-Spurs has a long way to go before earning rivalry status.

But Chet vs. Victor? There seems to be a cold war brewing between them. Both know the power the other possesses.

They duck questions about the other like they duck doorways.

I asked Wembanyama if he’s exhausted by the comparisons with Holmgren.

“I wasn’t aware of it,” Wembanyama said.

“You weren’t aware that people were comparing you guys,” I followed up.

“I mean of course, but, just like every prospect being compared to everyone,” he said.

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Across the hall, Holmgren was asked about his first time playing against Wembanyama, back in the 2021 under-19 FIBA World Cup.

“A great matchup between USA and France,” Holmgren said. “A lot of great players in that game that were competing. It came down to the wire and we were able to edge out a win in that one.”

No direct mention of Wembanyama.

Wembanyama’s implication that he and Holmgren are compared to each other like all prospects are compared undersells their shared qualities.

Why do we compare them? Well, look around.

There aren’t many 7-footers walking among us. Their height alone puts them in an exclusive group — which includes a number of their NBA colleagues — but it’s their combination of size and skill that separates them into their own extraterrestrial subset.

They play like guards who were stretched long and thin by a giant rolling pin. The kind of prototype that until now only existed on 2K’s create-a-player.

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But Wembanyama and Holmgren are real. Through which dimension they arrived is unknown, but there they were playing on a blue court in Oklahoma City.

While Chet vs. Wemby underwhelmed, both are highlight machines even on off nights.

Wembanyama dribbled behind his back and drove for a side-step dunk for his first basket of the game. It was hard to compute, but our eyes haven’t been trained to watch the Wembanyama of the world.

Holmgren hammered home a dunk off a no-look feed from Josh Giddey to close the first half. Of his three baskets, two were dunks and one was a 3-pointer.

For the season, Holmgren is averaging 15.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. Wembanyama is averaging 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 blocks.

Holmgren is shooting 53% from the floor, including 46% from 3-point range. Wembanyama is 43% from the field and 28% from 3-point range.

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Wembanyama, primarily a power forward, is the focal point of the Spurs’ offense. He leads San Antonio in shots per game. Holmgren, primarily a center, is fourth on the Thunder in field goal attempts.

Wembanyama will likely have flashier raw stats on a bad team. Holmgren will likely be more efficient on an average to above average team.

Wembanyama remains the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year. He’s -360 on FanDuel, where a $100 wager would win you $27.28. You can take the field — Holmgren or any other non-Wemby rookie — where a $100 bet would win you $250.

The field (i.e. Holmgren) is looking like the more worthwhile bet.

But it’s early.

Tuesday *fingers crossed* was the first of many Chet vs. Victor matchups.

The rivalry is fresh, but frost is already forming.

Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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Thunder vs. Warriors

TIPOFF: 9 p.m. Thursday at Chase Center in San Francisco (Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBATV)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: NBA cold war is brewing between Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama