The OKC Thunder may have been the number one seed in the entire association and won the 2025 NBA Championship this past year, but there's reason to believe that this ball club is only bound to get even better next season.
At least, that's what big man Isaiah Hartenstein seems to be hinting at.
Particularly when discussing his frontcourt partnership with 23-year-old phenom Chet Holmgren during a recent appearance on Podcast P with Paul George, the veteran discussed how, despite having won a title, their twin-tower tandem never reached its full potential due to their overlapping injury woes throughout the campaign.
However, though he acknowledged that their unfortunate circumstances prevented them from getting that "fast track into building our chemistry," with a full offseason of rest and recovery, Hartenstein appears convinced that he and Holmgren will have a chance to "keep building on what we started" during the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.
"I think next year's it's just gonna get better and better. I think that's what makes us dangerous. We can go big, we can go small. We can put Chet at the five, we can put me at the five. I think that's what makes us dangerous," Hartenstein said.
NBA should be petrified of Thunder and their double-big lineup
As acknowledged by Hartenstein, both he and Holmgren were severely limited last season due to varying injuries.
Whether it was Hartenstein being ruled out for multiple weeks with a hand injury or Chet missing several months due to a right iliac wing fracture, the duo was robbed of seeing extended run on the hardwood together, as they played just 679 possessions alongside one another.
Of course, what they were able to accomplish in such a limited capacity is truly what makes I-Hart's concept of them building upon what they've started all the more exciting -- and possibly devastating for the rest of the NBA.
With this tandem on the floor, the Thunder found themselves producing at exponential levels on both ends of the ball, as they ranked in the 96 percentile in point differential (+13.5), 95 percentile in points per 100 possessions (123.4), 99 percentile in effective field goal percentage (60.8), and the 88 percentile in opponents points per 100 possessions (109.9) during the regular season.
This duo has unbelievable upside as a two-way recking crew, and managed to flash their potential on a number of occasions throughout their debut season together.
Hopefully, with health more on their side, Hartenstein and Holmgren can produce at these enviable rates on a far more consistent basis during next year's campaign.