The potential ups and downs of Thunder's new Hartenstein, Holmgren tandem

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been welcoming some fresh new faces into town during this 2024 NBA offseason. Easily the most noteworthy of the bunch was big man Isaiah Hartenstein, who was signed as a free agent after spending the previous two campaigns with the New York Knicks.

Hartenstein offers so many crucial and important skills for the Thunder, and he fills major areas of weakness they possessed throughout the 2023-24 season.

He also forms an intriguing frontcourt partnership with fellow 7-footer, Chet Holmgren.

Mark Daigneault and the coaching staff will have their hands full in deciding how to run the pair in lineups and defensive sets. It will be interesting to see whether Hartenstein is immediately placed in the starting lineup or if he begins his journey in an OKC jersey off the bench.

Out of the 75 regular season games he played this past season with New York, he came off the bench in 49 of them. However, due to a slew of injuries, by the time the playoffs rolled around, he was the full-time starting center for the club and had earned the right to keep that role through his impressive play.

A storyline throughout Holmgren's career thus far has been his muscular strength and size or, rather, the lack thereof. There's no denying his ability and timing when protecting the rim, but sometimes bigger players have been able to move him and put him in a spot where his length alone can't affect shots.

Hartenstein can fill this void that the Thunder had and have him play a role as an overall defensive enforcer who bruises opponents and won't back down from any matchup.

He was often tasked with guarding Joel Embiid in the Knicks' opening-round victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, and Oklahoma City is hopeful he can bring every piece of that to his new situation.

Analyzing the new Thunder frontcourt tandem of Hartenstein, Holmgren

Of course, with all this being said, though it's an entertaining thought that Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein might both feature in the Thunder's opening night starting lineup this October, should such a tandem actually be seen as a realistic possibility?

Even when asked about their fit at NBA Summer League in Vegas this week, Holmgren played things rather political, saying:

"We don't know what we're gonna look like, but you know, we're gonna figure out how to be the best version of ourselves."

Obviously, Holmgren and Hartenstein don't have any on-court chemistry yet but that is hoped to come in time.

There is reason to be optimistic about the two being on the court together at the same time, as Holmgren's ability to stretch the floor and be a perimeter threat makes him a flexible player. Pair that with Harteinstein's underrated passing vision, and there will certainly be an opportunity for coach Mark Daigneault to experiment with a double-big lineup.

Unfortunately, offense isn't the only aspect of the game of basketball and, frankly, when it comes to the defensive side of the ball, that's where it might cause some issues.

While the two would form an elite rim-protecting and rebounding force, matchups may become slightly more difficult to guard.

The NBA has shifted to a lot more small ball play, and Holmgren does not have the foot speed to keep pace with a lot of NBA forwards and quicker bigs.

Hartenstein and Holmgren love to protect the rim and stay at home on their assignments, so it could leave the Thunder vulnerable for corner three point opportunities, a shot that killed them in the postseason.

It's all about the scouting report -- If a team is struggling from deep and the Thunder want to suffocate the interior, then running a lineup with Holmgren at the four and Hartenstein at the five is potentially realistic. Coach Daigneault may even choose to start with Hartenstein at the five and then quickly stagger the minutes of the big men.

Playing Holmgren at center last season proved crucial for the Thunder, and it is unlikely to see them move away from this strategy. Oklahoma City's offensive rating had a difference of +14 in the postseason for when he was on the court vs when he wasn't.

Hartenstein's rebounding will prove to be a massive addition to the club, but he may have to provide it in closing lineups and off the bench.

There may be a closing five in clutch games of Sha Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein to give the Thunder the best available spacing while not sacrificing spacing too much.

However, a lineup consisting of Holmgren and Hartenstein may only be successful in short spurts, as teams implement small ball and shooting lineups to counter the sheer size and shot-blocking abilities the Thunder aim to roll out.

Time will certainly tell how the big men will fit together, and whether we see them much on the court in the same lineup at all.

Hartenstein might find himself in the starting lineup from day one or he may have to earn it on the back of strong play as a backup.

Whichever way it is, the Thunder have two talented big men and an unbelievable amount of rotational options to work with.