3 Lineups Isaiah Hartenstein Unlocks For Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder netted Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency this summer and as training camp rolls around, he is able to unlock a ton of lineups for the Bricktown ballers.

Apr 14, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) yells at an official after falling to the floor in the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to lure Isaiah Hartenstein away from the New York Knicks during the 2024 offseason in what goes down as the biggest free agent signing in OKC Thunder history.

Hartenstein represents arguably the best backup big man in the NBA and immediately upgrades the team's biggest flaw from a year ago in patching the Thunder's front court rotation.

Another wrinkle of this signing is the million-and-one lineups Mark Daigneault will run in a given season - the Thunder bench boss likely has that many combinations just for his new big man alone.

What are the three most interesting lineups that this signing unlocks?

Lineup No. 1: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Alex Caruso-Jalen Williams-Chet Holmgren-Isaiah Hartenstein

This might be viewed as the Thunder's best five players this season when it is all said and done, getting their top talent on the floor together. While Oklahoma City still rightfully views Holmgren as a center, there is an enticement to play him at the power forward spot alongside Hartenstein at times, allowing the Gonzaga product to play a Jaren Jackson Jr. role defensively.

No matter how you feel about Holmgren's position, the starting lineup debate or any other questions in the air, this certainly is the lineup that most closely matches the unlock definition. A year ago, Holmgren only played alongside a center for two percent of his minutes and said center was 6-foot-9. This double-big lineup was not possible just four months ago.

Lineup No. 2: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Joe, Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Hartenstein

If Daigneault continues his pattern of allowing Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort to be the last starters standing on the floor to close the opening frame, surrounding them with a high-level screen setter in Hartenstein, an elite floor spacer in Joe and a swiss-army knife in Wiggins will certainly add a spark and put an exclamation point on the opening 12 minutes.

Lineup No. 3: Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein

Eventually, the Thunder will need to lean on their bench with plenty of pressure put on Williams to be a go-to scorer - a role he filled in nicely a year ago, showing an ability to be a high-level high-volume efficient scorer.

Still as the Santa Clara product finished at a high clip around the rim, knocking down tough mid-range jumpers and shouldering the load offensively his life gets easier with the addition of Hartenstein.

The former New York Knicks big man is instantly the best screen setter any player in this lineup has ever played with and for a secondary group lacking much on-ball playmaking threat, Hartenstein being a safety net in the pick-and-roll takes this bunch to the next level.

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