Thunder plan for utilizing Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein revealed

This summer the OKC Thunder signed highly touted free agent big man Isaiah Hartenstein to their roster to beef up their frontcourt and improve their strength and overall toughness as a collective.

Last season, it proved evident that their makeup was far too featherweight to compete with the bulkier squads in the association, with a prime example of this being their second-round playoff bout against the meatier Dallas Mavericks that, ultimately, ended with Oklahoma City being bounced in six.

By bringing on the 7-foot, 249-pound Hartenstein, the franchise seemingly found their counter to such units, though, in doing so, early questions and concerns have risen regarding his fit alongside the likes of last year's starting pivot, Chet Holmgren.

Though his slender 207-pound build was a slight sore spot within OKC's lineup, as he was easily moved around by buffer bigs, overall the rookie's role as the primary five did wonders for the Thunder, as they finished fourth in defensive rating, third in offensive rating, and second in net rating with him serving in such a role.

On a more personal and individual note, Holmgren himself dropped sensational averages of 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks on 53.0 percent shooting from the floor and 37.0 percent shooting from deep en route to a second-place finish in the Rookie of the Year race and is now being seen as a player who could absolutely "explode" during his follow-up 2024-25 run.

And because of these clear positive points along with the fact that Oklahoma City is coming off a 57-win season, many are curious as to whether coach Mark Daigneault will optionally look to shake this starting unit up with the arrival of the traditional center in Hartenstein -- after all, the old saying that many abide by is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

With just over a month to go between now and October 24's regular season tip-off, there's still plenty of time for this Thunder coaching staff to construct an ideal approach on how to best utilize this new 7-foot tandem, though, according to NBA Skills Developer, Kenny Ellis, a "plan" already seems to be in place ahead of training camp.

NBA trainer says Thunder 'plan' is to use Chet Holmgren at forward

Recently, a video of Isaiah Hartenstein running drills and taking part in full-court scrimmages went viral online, which sparked a wave of Thunder fans hyping up the big's addition to the team's core heading into what is hoped to be a championship-winning campaign.

Amid all the praise-filled comments talking up his fluid movement on the court and seemingly improved long-range jumper, one user dropped a thought stating that OKC should slide Holmgren up to power forward and, in turn, have the 26-year-old man the post in year one with the club.

Though there has yet to be any word on whether this is the approach coach Daigneault will look to take during the upcoming season, Ellis responded to the comment by saying "That’s the plan."

Interestingly enough, the idea of using Holmgren as the primary four isn't a new topic of discussion.

In fact, even he has addressed the concept of him being paired with Hartenstein in the frontcourt, noting on an appearance on Podcast P with Paul George that his arrival on the Thunder "is great" and that "wether I'm out there at the four or the five, you know, I'm trying to win the basketball game."

With training camps set to start up in just a few weeks, fans will be paying close attention as they await any semblance of buzz concerning how Oklahoma City will go about structuring their rotation with their revamped roster.

At the moment, however, it seems Hartenstein is gearing up to serve as the team's primary pivot in 2024-25.