Isaiah Hartenstein's 'biggest challenge' for Thunder mirrors Sam Presti's philosophy

Although they were the youngest team in NBA history to clinch a top seed in a conference standings and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, the OKC Thunder opted to shake things up this offseason by tweaking with their roster makeup.

Among the many moves made by Oklahoma City's front office, arguably the biggest both literally and figuratively was the addition of center Isaiah Hartenstein, who agreed to a lucrative three-year, $87 million pact on day two of free agency.

With his arrival, the Thunder now have a newly established 7-foot tandem roaming in the frontcourt consisting of him and reigning rookie phenom, Chet Holmgren, while the 26-year-old's abilities to bang down low, fight on the boards, and battle with the best of the fives across the league adds a much-needed sense of strength and stability to their previous featherweight collection of bigs.

However, though his fit within the rotation seems to be rather seamless, there are still bound to be some growing pains during these early stages of his tenure in Loud City. To Hartenstein, the primary challenge he expects to face is attempting to build a rapport with his new running mates.

Isaiah Hartenstein addresses 'biggest challenge' of joining OKC Thunder

During his first Media Day as a member of the Thunder, Isaiah Hartenstein acknowledged that his excitement over signing with the franchise is quite high, saying that he knows "I can help them win." That said, when asked what he believes the "biggest challenge" he didn't shy away from discussing one of the most underrated aspects of a great team: Strong chemistry.

"Just getting adjusted to their play-style. I'm just trying to come in and help them get better. That's my biggest thing, to make the lives of Shai, J-Dub, Chet and all of these guys, their lives easier. So just figuring out what certain guys like, what certain guys don't like. That just takes time," Hartenstein said.

Hartenstein would continue on to note that he believes that training camp and preseason will play major roles in helping him and the rest of the team build that much-needed chemistry with one another, further stating that "at the beginning it's going to be a little" bumpy.

What's noteworthy about these comments is that it seems that honing these relationships is already something the front office is stressing to the fanbase will take time, as GM Sam Presti acknowledged during his preseason presser last week that "We're going to need some time with this particular group."

Though many may wish to see this Thunder team jive and gel right from the jump, it's good to see that the team is already urging patience with this new-look squad. In a way, it takes a certain degree of pressure off of them... at least, during the early stages of the campaign.