A major rumbling from this offseason is that OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is looking to lean more into his off-ball abilities heading into 2026-27.
According to Team Canada head coach Gordie Herbert, SGA has been honing his offensive craft when operating without the rock, which, if mastered, is believed to make him even "tougher to guard."
Fortunately for Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder have a bevy of tremendous passing talents in their arsenal who can aid his new approach to the game, with options ranging from pure floor generals like Nikola Topic to Swiss Army Knife wings such as Jalen Williams.
Of course, arguably the most underrated dime dropper on OKC is big man Isaiah Hartenstein, who, quite frankly, could be a key to fully taking advantage of Shai's new on-court development.
Thunder must experiment with using Isaiah Hartenstein as offensive hub
Hartenstein is far from a lethal offensive talent, particularly in the scoring department, where he boasts career averages of just 7.1 points per game.
Despite this, however, there could be some serious advantages to experimenting with running the offense through the big man at times during a game, especially with Gilgeous-Alexander trying to generate more buckets when in off-ball sets.
I-Hart's combination of size, measuring in at 7-feet, and passing touch could prove lethal in certain perimeter motions and DHOs, as he has the ability to not only see over an opposing team's defense, but can accurately dish the rock for proper scoring opportunities.
Throughout his tenure, the veteran has shown flashes of his expertise as a set-up man. During this upcoming campaign, coach Mark Daigneault may want to consider putting them on display on a more consistent basis.
Thunder rookie also could benefit from SGA's off-ball desires
Hartenstein isn't the only 7-footer on this Thunder roster capable of accurately dishing the rock, as one of lottery-selected rookie Aday Mara's greatest strengths is, in fact, his passing game.
While most may know him for his tremendous size, defensive chops, and rebounding abilities, Mara also built up a reputation during his time with the Michigan Wolverines as an incredibly efficient distributor.
As pointed out by The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann in his scouting report, the 21-year-old is an ambidextrous facilitator who ranked in the 90 percentile for secondary assists in post-up possessions when the defense committed to him and sported an impressive 0.8 assist-to-usage rate.
In limited action during the Summer League, Mara managed to showcase his passing skills on several occasions while running with a majority of non-NBA talent.
Just imagine how helpful his abilities could be once he gets into games alongside lethal three-level scorers like SGA, J-Dub, and Chet Holmgren.
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