The NBA Finals this year features a striking defensive showdown between Myles Turner and Chet Holmgren, two of the league’s most formidable big men. Representing the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder respectively, both players showcase contrasting styles backed by vastly different experience levels. The Pacers rely on Turner’s veteran presence and rim protection, while OKC’s young core pivots heavily around Holmgren’s versatile defensive prowess. This comparison highlights their defensive impact and how it shapes their teams’ championship aspirations in 2025.
Career and Statistical Profiles: Experience Versus Emerging Talent
Myles Turner, drafted 11th overall by the Indiana Pacers in 2015, has accumulated 10 NBA seasons with 642 regular-season games played. In contrast, Chet Holmgren, the Thunder’s 2nd overall pick in 2022, has played only 114 regular-season games due to missing his entire rookie year with a Lisfranc injury. Despite this gap, both players have compiled impressive statistics that showcase their defensive influence on the floor.
Holmgren’s regular-season averages stand at 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, complimented by a field goal percentage of 53.2% and three-point shooting at 38.4%, with a true shooting percentage of 63.1%. He also averages a league-leading 2.4 blocks per game, underscoring his two-way effectiveness. Turner’s numbers are comparably strong, with 16.3 points, 6.9 rebounds per contest, a shooting efficiency of 52.1% FG, 35.2% 3P, and a 62.0% TS, alongside 2.3 blocks per game. His defensive reputation lies firmly in rim protection and controlling the paint.
Diving deeper, advanced metrics illustrate their impact beyond traditional stats. Holmgren’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is 18.7 with a Box Plus/Minus (BPM) of +2.4, reflecting his above-average contributions to team success on both ends. Turner’s PER of 18.1 and BPM of +1.9 also indicate significant influence, especially driven by defensive presence and floor spacing. These numbers confirm both players as frontline defensive anchors in this Finals match-up.
Assessing Offensive and Defensive Skill Sets
Beyond numbers, Holmgren’s offensive game exhibits remarkable speed and shooting ability, particularly in transition. He ranks in the top 10 among NBA players for transition points per game and shoots 37.9% from three on 3.6 attempts per game, placing him 14th in the league among shooters with significant volume. Turner’s offensive strength focuses more on mid-range shooting and pick-and-roll finishes, boasting a highly efficient 63% shooting rate as the roll man, generating 5.8 points per game in that role. The Haliburton-Turner pick-and-roll combo is the fifth most productive in the league among duos with significant usage.
On defense, Turner excels in paint protection, helping the Pacers limit opponents to 109.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, a mark better than the league average. His 2.3 blocks per game place him in the top 20 rim protectors league-wide. Holmgren meanwhile influences the game with his ability to switch onto guards and defend perimeter players, making opponents shoot only 52.0% on isolations and pick-and-rolls when he switches, ranking in the 8th percentile for big men in these situations. He also offers valuable positional versatility, comfortably guarding both center and power forward roles, whereas Turner’s 20th percentile ranking in close-out speed suggests he is less adept defending quicker forwards outside the paint.
How Each Player Contributes to Team Success
Holmgren’s versatility allows OKC coach Mark Daigneault to experiment with rotations, often shifting Holmgren to power forward to complement players like Isaiah Hartenstein. As the Thunder’s defensive anchor and offensive spacer, Holmgren plays a critical role in both limiting opponents and stretching the floor. Turner, as the longest-tenured Pacer and team leader, delivers a top-10 league mark in Defensive Win Shares (3.7 in 2024-25), demonstrating his sustained defensive impact over an extended career length.
While Holmgren combines youth and flexibility, Turner compensates with experience and paint dominance. The two players complement their teams in unique ways, with Holmgren disrupting offenses through switching and perimeter defense, and Turner anchoring the paint with shot-blocking and efficient mid-range scoring. The balance of youth versus experience, versatility versus specialization, creates a compelling narrative in this NBA Finals battle.
Final Thoughts: A Defensive Clash Defining the Finals Outcome
The duel between Myles Turner and Chet Holmgren encapsulates a compelling defensive story in the 2025 NBA Finals, blending influence, skill, and leadership. Turner’s veteran presence and elite rim protection counter Holmgren’s disruptive switching defense and efficient offensive contributions. Both players provide their respective teams with uniquely valuable defensive cores capable of altering the trajectory of this highly contested championship series.
As the series unfolds, the question remains: which defensive style will prove more dominant under Finals pressure? This battle between two contrasting yet equally impactful defenders shapes not only their teams’ fortunes but also the evolving landscape of defense in today’s NBA. Basketball fans are witnessing a historic encounter that goes beyond traditional comparisons, showcasing how defense continues to be the backbone of championship-caliber teams.
“How good was he by the numbers?”
—Analyst
“How much did he help his team win while on the court?”
—Analyst