The fit, not without caveats, has long been present. To simplify things, OKC was hardly the league’s best rebounding team a season ago, with postseason disparities mitigating any post All-Star break spike. Defense was simply valued more, and Chet Holmgren, a rookie who played 92 games altogether, anchored as much as he could.
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The season wore on the 22-year-old. And his defensive impact, massive for a rookie, was even more apparent when he exited games. OKC could’ve used an adequate rim protector with Holmgren off the floor, as well as a player that could advance the Thunder’s effort on the glass.
Enter Eugene’s finest.
Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in 25.3 minutes this past season. At 7-foot and 250 pounds, the 26-year-old was among the best league wide at defending the rim. He held opponents to 56.7% inside the restricted area, the seventh-best mark in the NBA; Holmgren was third at 52.6%.
Hartenstein also ranked 13th in the league in offensive rebounding percentage.
If the acquisition and its fit ever felt unlikely, it’s because Presti shared that his offseason process would vet anything that sacrificed the style that helped generate the success behind a 57-win season. With last season’s personnel, that meant the Thunder clung to five-out sets and spacing that allowed for infinite drive-and-kicks.
Hartenstein made just one 3-pointer last season, a half-court heave, through three attempts. He isn’t a shooting threat. But his addition signals that Presti was working to be anything but stringent.
“We're not trying to prove anybody wrong by being a bad rebounding team and trying to win,” Presti said back in May. “We'd love to be great at everything. But we don't want to solve one area and create three holes in another area that we're scrambling to fix in another way. We're just trying to find the best way to win.”
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At some point, Presti likely accepted two things: The pursuit of a 48-minute, five-out utopia probably wasn't sustainable — or plausible given the lineup versatility the league demands. And, perhaps more notably in Presti’s pursuit of a winning style, the players that could readily fit the five-out mold and check off most Thunder-y boxes are all either unavailable, Victor Wembanyama, or currently Boston Celtics.
Hartenstein’s fit looks different. But it isn’t uninviting.
With Hartenstein’s playmaking and screening, he’ll unlock some things that weren’t previously as prominent in OKC’s offense. Versatility it could’ve used in the postseason.
Per Second Spectrum, the Knicks scored 1.25 points per possession between the Jalen Brunson and Hartenstein pick-and-roll tandem. Hartenstein’s frame allowed one of the game’s best pace-changers to trap defenses.
Hartenstein set screens that forced defenders — especially those in drop — to make tough decisions. Defenses were far too focused on Brunson with an easy path. Defenders were often left trailing Knicks ball handlers, and those that committed to the drive left the big man available for his signature push shot. Even when defenses opted to switch, leaving a big on Brunson, Hartenstein could cement deep position and toss up a hook over smaller defenders.
When getting tagged by a low defender, Hartenstein would often float around a rotating defense, making himself available for the next drive when a teammate could kick to him for the push shot.
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For defenses more aggressive in their screen navigation, the Knicks used Hartenstein’s passing chops. A Brunson blitz meant Hartenstein could show short-roll brilliance. He falls into the category of big decision makers that Presti adores, hitting backdoor cutters and becoming a playmaking hub all over the floor.
Hartenstein's abilities in the short roll should become infectious. Holmgren, a sound decision maker as a rookie, endured times when he was looked over in those situations. If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are forced to calibrate those scenarios with Hartenstein, it should impact their synergy with Holmgren.
Isaiah Joe was a mainstay in SGA-led lineups. But the possibilities of him being featured alongside Hartenstein in Williams-led lineups are intriguing. Players like Divicenzo made a killing as a movement shooter when orbiting around Hartenstein’s dribble handoffs.
Williams often struggled in the postseason to create the way he had in the regular season. When guard-to-guard picks and ghost screens don’t do the trick, Hartenstein should help usher him downhill. Joe and any other surrounding shooters should rejoice. If not for what Williams can do, then for the ways Hartenstein can find them while they move without the ball.
The Thunder has been vocal using Holmgren on the ball more. his playmaking endeavors, and his unrivaled impact defensively as a center. Hartenstein's bill reads like a starter, but it likely doesn’t mean OKC is so eager to alter Holmgren’s role. It’s just the price to pay for the franchise’s most coveted free agent ever.
