With Holmgren, Giddey Thunder will be fun to watch

LAS VEGAS — The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to lose a lot of games this season.

However, this team will be fun to watch with Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey, not to mention Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a host of other talented young players. They might even push a few teams.

That fun starts with Holmgren’s versatility — in his first game in Las Vegas (but third overall), the Thunder let him bring the ball up and initiate the offense at times, they used him in dribble hand-off actions and other plays where he was expected to make the right read, and they just let him be aggressive. That matters, Holmgren is naturally aggressive (and stronger than he looks, although he’s got a ways to go in that department).

Holmgren finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks on Saturday night.

“I think with a guy like him, it’s easy to get siloed into one specific facet of the game, good or bad for him, because he’s so unique,” Thunder Summer League coach Kam Woods said. “He impacts the game in a lot of ways. So I thought his rim protection was really good. I thought he found offense within what we’re doing.”

“I mean, he does everything on both sides of the floor. He can stretch the floor, knock down threes, plays at the rim, can play in the mid-range,” Giddey said. “On the defensive end protects the rim like I’ve never seen before. So I know he’s got my back on that end, great guy to play with.”

Giddey also is part of the fun with the Thunder — he’s creative, aggressive, and is getting downhill to the rim better this summer than we have seen.

“I spent a lot of time to summer in the weight room so I’ve been getting stronger and then that will allow me to take more contact going into the paint,” Giddey said after a 14-point, eight-assist night. “I’m making an emphasis of getting to the rim and whether it’s me finishing or dishing out… I think last year I shied away from a lot of contact. I got bumped off my line a fair…