For two seasons now, the OKC Thunder have boasted one of the most elite interior defenses in the NBA. Coach Mark Daigneault's "double bigs" lineup, featuring skyscrapers Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, has proven to be lethal in the postseason, both this year and last.
On Monday night against the Spurs, it took all of two and a half minutes for that weapon to become obsolete.
Not only did Victor Wembanyama have four of San Antonio's first seven points to start the contest, but he elected to play completely off of Hartenstein when Oklahoma City had possession. Whenever I-Hart had the ball at the top of the key, there wasn't a defender within ten feet of him.
Wemby was positioned deep in the paint, and it was obvious the Thunder had no answer.
From then on, the OKC center only came onto the court when backup big Luke Kornet spelled Wembanyama. When the Spurs' Frenchman was on the court, and Holmgren needed a rest, Daigneault elected to play Jaylin Williams in hopes of spreading the floor out more on offense.
As a result, the tandem of Holmgren and Hartenstein was completely nullified for the remainder of the game. Hartenstein started the second half on the bench, as Cason Wallace got the starting nod in his stead.
Game 1 provided more questions than answers for Thunder
Game 1 set off alarm bells for the Thunder, and interior play may have been at the top of the list.
Led by the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama, the Spurs scored 52 points in the paint, despite Daigneault throwing the kitchen sink at them defensively.
The Thunder, by contrast, scored just 38.
It was a shocking display of incompetence from a team that almost always found its largest advantages closer to the rim.
In response to San Antonio's interior dominance, Daigneault elected to unleash their playoff X-factor, Alex Caruso, in a role many expected Holmgren to fill. He became Wembanyama's main shadow after subbing into the game with 9:24 to go in the first quarter.
The center looked visibly frustrated by Caruso's pestilence, but he still walked away with 41 points and 24 rebounds, nine of them on the offensive glass.
Wemby's presence has obviously presented a problem that the Thunder don't appear to have a solution for.
Various players have been systematically cut out of the rotation, and others have been thrust into unexpected larger roles.
The only problem is, it didn't work in Game 1.
Now, coach Daigneault must go back to the drawing board to find a solution for this one-of-a-kind problem.
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