Down 0-1 in this best-of-seven semifinal matchup against Denver, it's clear the OKC Thunder are already in quite an unenviable hole.
In order to climb out of it, they'll need Isaiah Hartenstein to kick his level of play into another gear.
Losing Game 1 to the Nuggets was far from the ideal way for Oklahoma City to start off round two. Fortunately, however, there were several clear reasons why the scoreboard ultimately fell in favor of Denver, with perhaps the most notable being Nikola Jokic's historic performance.
In 42 minutes of action, the three-time MVP managed to become the first person in league history to record a stat line of 42 points, 22 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal on a highly efficient 51.7 percent shooting from the field in a single playoff game.
Allowing such numbers, or anything close to them, to become the norm moving forward in this series is far from a recipe for success.
A way for the Thunder to try and combat this type of production is to make a key alteration to their defensive approach by making Hartenstein the primary defender against Jokic.
Thunder must have Isaiah Hartenstein as Nikola Jokic's primary defender
To perhaps the surprise of many, the Thunder had Hartenstein assigned to Aaron Gordon and Chet Holmgren shadowing Jokic within their main defensive approach.
Though the sophomore may have the height and length necessary to match up against the seven-time All-Star (7-foot-1 to 6-foot-11), he severely lacks in the bulk and strength department, weighing in at 207 pounds soaking wet compared to Jokic's 284 pounds.
Needless to say, this mismatch was something Jokic took full advantage of.
On the flip side, when guarded by Hartenstein as the closest defender, the superstar center saw just five points on a putrid 33.3 percent shooting from the field while only seeing four of his rebounds come when directly battling with the 27-year-old down low.
Though it may be a small sample size, based on these numbers alone, along with just how dominant Jokic was when facing off against Holmgren, a switch in defensive philosophy where I-Hart is being used as the primary point of attack against the Nuggets cornerstone, and then utilizing Holmgren as a weak-side help defender and rim protector, may be necessary as the series progresses.
At the very least, it's a strategy that must strongly be considered heading into Wednesday night's Game 2.