It took 1 game for Thunder star to prove splashy addition is a luxury, not a necessity

When the Oklahoma City Thunder signed breakout center Isaiah Hartenstein at the start of free agency, the move was deemed as being the last piece of their championship-aspiring puzzle. 

After one game, however, stud big Chet Holmgren might have proven that Hartenstein may be more of a luxury rather than a flat-out necessity.

It may take a while for this to be proven as being the case considering I-Hart is injured to start the season, but with performances like the one Chet put forth against Denver during Thursday's season opener, it's hard not to believe this could easily prove to be the case.

When the Thunder were eliminated from the 2024 playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks, one glaring issue was the lack of strength and size at their center position. That was when the team decided they would pursue the former New York Knicks standout, signing him to a lucrative three-year, $87 million deal. 

During the preseason, Hartenstein would already prove his worth, racking up multiple rebounds and assists each game. This started a conversation over whether he should end up starting, which would push Holmgren up to the four. 

Then the news about his left-hand fracture came out, and it struck a panic amongst the OKC community as the team was already dealing with injuries in the big man department. This left the Gonzaga product as the lone healthy center left on the squad to start the year. 

Going into the game against Denver to open the season, a worry among many fans was that the reigning rookie phenom would not be able to hold his own against a bigger and stronger team, similar to how he faltered during last year's postseason. Because of this, it seemed as though Chet was automatically being counted out as a factor in this matchup against Nikola Jokic and company. 

Then he silenced all the doubters!

Chet Holmgren proving Hartenstein signing is a luxury for Thunder

The bigger players proved to be no challenge for the “Long Arm of the Law”, as Chet would go on to have an impressive game, dropping 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

The offensive part of the second-year center's game has gone in the right direction. To start off, his off-the-dribble attack was impressive, as he was able to read when to drive into the paint from the perimeter and when to take the pull-up mid-range jumper. 

The most underrated part of his game that has improved is his finishing ability. Chet would end up going to the line for an and-one opportunity three times against the Nuggets. With the high-end free throw shooting abilities Holmgren possesses, he should try to welcome contact more and, hopefully, get to the line for easy points. 

The only aspect of his scoring game that needs work is his 3-point shot, as he went 0-for-5 from deep. Holmgren had the opportunity to drop a nice 30-point performance if he could have hit from beyond the arc like he did last season. Of course, this might just be growing pains going into his second year and should not be all that worrisome for fans. 

Defensively, somehow he has improved his rim protection even more. The young center is going up strong, hands straight in the air, and is not getting pushed over as much in the paint anymore. This may be due in part to the weight he put on this offseason. 

This goes to show the dedication the promising young player has to improving his game, and not having any weaknesses when on the floor. Last year the youngster realized a big weakness of his was that he would get bullied in the paint for too frequently, and he needed to do something about it.

The first game of the year for the Thunder showed how much he may have improved. 

Now, of course, Oklahoma City would love to have Hartenstein out on the court playing, but this is still the same team that won 57 games just last year. Everyone on the team has improved, and this can allow the new center to rest and make sure he comes back 100 percent healthy. 

The improvements seemingly made not just by Chet but everyone on the Thunder go to show that signing Hartenstein was not as necessary as people thought, but was just a luxury Sam Presti and company could afford.