Chet Holmgren 'Extremely Excited' About Pairing With New Thunder Big Man

The Oklahoma City Thunder have added Isaiah Hartenstein to the fold and it is 'extremely exciting' for Chet Holmgren to play alongside the big man who offers a different look than last year's squad.

Chet Holmgren is pictured during the Thunder media day at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder's lack of size a year ago played a major part in the 57-win squad being ousted in six games to the Dallas Mavericks during the Western Conference Semi-Finals. When rising star Chet Holmgren left the floor, the Mavericks were able to feast and eventually swing the series as those possessions mounted.

This summer, Sam Presti went out to retool the front court adding New York Knicks big man Isaiah Hartenstein who stood out so much in the postseason he earned a three-year $87-million dollar payday.

Since July, the ideas of how the Oklahoma City Thunder could deploy their double big lineups have echoed across the NBA landscape.

In the Thunder's first two preseason games, the basketball world got their first glimpse of how the two could play off of one another. On Thursday, Thunder on SI asked Holmgren about his new partnership with Hartenstein.

“I think it’s been fun so far. It’ll continue to be. He is a really good player, he brings a different dynamic to this team than we’ve had in the past. It’s really fun to play with somebody with that style of play because it’s so different from what we’ve done" Holmgren said "it allows us to do different things on the floor, especially myself personally…I am extremely excited, he is excited, we are both here to do whatever we are asked to do to try to win.”

This excitement reaffirms what Hartenstein said following Monday's preseason clash in San Antonio as each big man not only enjoys playing together but can help one another reach a new level on the floor.

While this duo has yet to be the featured starting lineup through the two preseason games each of them have been active for, they have seen heavy action together throughout the course of the game as Mark Daigneault weaves lineups in and out.

I asked Chet Holmgren about playing with Isaiah Hartenstein “I think it’s been fun so far. It’ll continue to be. He is a really good player, he brings a different dynamic to this team than we’ve had in the past. It’s really fun to play with somebody with that style of play…

— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 10, 2024

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.