The vision behind Oklahoma City’s dominant season has always been the pairing between Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. A season ago, the Thunder cruised to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and sent shockwaves through the NBA as the youngest team ever to secure a top spot in the playoffs.
The weaknesses were clear, though, even if they were minimal. In all honesty, Oklahoma City could’ve run it back with the same crew and contended for a title. The growing core of young stars is inevitable, and would’ve succeeded in some way, shape or form. But management went the extra mile, securing Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, and effectively giving the Thunder the look of a super team.
The craziest part? Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren have played less than five games together.
Tim Bontemps and the ESPN crew evaluated the current state of the NBA as the league gears up for a chaotic playoff race. Oklahoma City is squarely in the thick of it, and the playoff movement will revolve around teams like the Thunder. The pairing of Holmgren and Hartenstein in the front court together will determine how the Western Conference shakes out
“They are finally healthy and playing sustained minutes together for the first time this season after Holmgren’s recovery from a hip injury,” Bontemps said. “And though there could be growing pains, the near-universal belief was that the two bigs will fit well in time. “They’ll make it work,” a West scout said.
“The Thunder have been willing to experiment with lineups and tailor them to opponents. That process is expected to continue. The biggest question about the fit was whether Holmgren’s shooting would make the pairing useful against various teams.”
So far, so good for Holmgren as a shooter next to Hartenstein. In five games since returning, Holmgren is shooting 43.7% from 3-point range. He is also shooting 39.6% from long range in 15 games this season.
As Hartenstein alluded to, the chemistry will only grow. It has been developing rapidly over the last five games, and there was even a Hartenstein to Holmgren lob on Sunday night. With time, this duo could make Oklahoma City a well-oiled machine.
“I think it hinges entirely on Chet and how well he’s shooting it and how comfortable he is playing in space more than he has in the past,” Bontemps quoted an East executive. “But I’m interested. I think it can work.”
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