Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama's rivalry, explained

Folks, here we are again. The Thunder and the Spurs are about to play in their first game against one another this NBA season.

That means we get to see Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama go at it. These are basically two basketball kaiju colliding. One is 7-foot-4 and the other is 7-foot-1 and they both do everything guards can do — sometimes better. It's wild.

The comparisons will always be there. They're both second-year big men despite Holmgren being drafted a year before. They both play the same position. They're both in the same conference. Their playing styles are similar.

But should we call their relationship with each other a rivalry? It's fair to call it that. But I'm not so sure it's that quite yet.

Let's dive into their relationship on the court so far.

Wait, so is this thing actually a rivalry?

Well, it's competitive. Maybe it's fair to call it a rivalry. But there's no animosity between the two of them.

Holmgren was asked about his relationship with Wemby over the summer on Paul George's "Playoff P" podcast. He quickly clarified that, while things are competitive, there is no "beef" between the two of them.

Why Victor vs. Chet could be the NBA's next intense rivalry

That competitive energy between them hasn't disappeared.

What were their matchups like?

COMPETITIVE. In all caps. The games are fun to watch. They both do things we've never seen anyone like them do on an NBA court.

With that said, mountains moved when we saw Wemby block Chet's jumper.

Chet and the Thunder walked away with two wins in their three matchups. But Wembanyama would usually walk away with a highlight or two that made you go, "Wow. Can't wait to watch more of this for the next 10 years."

So, look. Maybe this isn't a rivalry now. But the more these guys see each other, the closer this matchup becomes the real deal.

Holmgren told reporters last year, "I plan on playing a long time, and i’m sure he does too so there’ll be no choice but to go back and forth."

Let's hope that happens.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama's rivalry, explained