Mark Daigneault Reveals OKC Thunder Starting Lineup Detail

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the most unique teams in the NBA.

Oct 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gestures to his team as they play against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder aren't rolling into the regular season with a healthy lineup. In preseason, Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a hand injury that will sideline him for another month or so, meaning the team won't be at full strength.

Fortunately, the club has quite a few options as it pertains to the starting lineup. Having also acquired Alex Caruso this past offseason while already having had plenty of depth, the squad should be fluid enough to be able to make adjustments on the fly.

As Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault explains, the team, by design, is fluid enough to be able to absorb changes while remaining tough to score on.

"We’d like to be hard to score on, regardless of what lineup is out there," Daigneault explained. “Everything’s gonna be fluid, that was the plan all along. That includes the starting lineups.”

With both Caruso and Hartenstein joining the squad -- there are at least a couple of starting lineups the team will toss around. That doesn't include Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe or Aaron Wiggins, all of which are capable starters.

The question surrounding the starting lineup and fluidity comes as the Thunder takes on the Denver Nuggets on the road to get their season underway. With so much expectation mounted on the franchise, early results could be important due to the narrative around it.

However, Daigneault explaining the fluidity of the squad and starting lineup essentially proves the confidence the team has, even with Hartenstein sidelined, that they'll be efficient on both sides of the ball.

Last year, the team didn't have a big-body, 7-footer like Hartenstein, so it won't particularly be a new challenge when the team faces Nikola Jokic, the reigning NBA MVP.

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