The OKC Thunder have found a true rotational cheat code when it comes to their usage of the double-big lineup of Chet Holmgren at the four and Isaiah Hartenstein at the five.
From elite offensive efficiency to their defensive domination, the dynamic duo has truly transformed Oklahoma City's on-court production across virtually every aspect of the game.
That is, except when it comes to second-chance opportunities.
Big lineups haven't boosted second-chance numbers for Thunder
Considering that they both measure in at over 7-feet tall, one would expect the presence of Holmgren and Hartenstein on the hardwood together would have a positive effect on the Thunder's offensive rebounding.
Surprisingly, however, this area of play has essentially been a non-factor throughout these early stages of 2025-26.
Through 11 games played, OKC finds itself pulling down the 10-fewest offensive rebounds per game at just 10.4, while registering the fourth-fewest second-chance points scored with a mere 13.5 a night.
As noted, the tandem of Holmgren and Hartenstein has proven to be absolutely lethal across a wide range of areas so far in these early stages of the season.
When found on the floor together, the Thunder rank in the 86 percentile in effective field goal percentage (58.4), 91 percentile in defensive turnover percentage (17.8), 96 percentile in points per 100 possessions (125.8), and the 99 percentile in point differential (+23.3).
Yet, despite their clear size advantage over a majority of other teams in the league, Holmgren and Hartenstein still can't seem to make Oklahoma City remotely respectable in the second-chance opportunity department, as the club places in just the 71 percentile with a 31.7 offensive rebound percentage when they are on the court.
Granted, these struggles were found in last year's title-winning Thunder squad as well, as they ranked 20 in offensive rebounds per game (10.6).
That said, the campaign was played largely without Holmgren in tow, as he missed 50 games largely due to a right iliac wing fracture.
The hope heading into this year was that, with him predominantly healthy and paired alongside Hartenstein for longer stretches, OKC could improve this weakness in their game. Sadly, this has yet to be the case.
Fortunately, as they clearly did last year, the Thunder have managed to excel despite their struggles with coming across second-chance opportunities, as they sport the best record in the association at 10-1 and are tabbed as the odds-on favorites to once again take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Still, the fact that this starting lineup, which regularly has only one member measuring under 6-foot-4 (Cason Wallace), and is topped by two 7-footers, can't make their presence felt in the offensive rebounding department is a tad curious.