Projecting the Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Five Following Isaiah Hartenstein Signing

The Oklahoma City Thunder have put together one of the most complete lineups in the NBA, who will start following their recent roster moves?

Mar 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) shoots the ball while being defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder made a splash on the Free Agency Market for the first time in organizational history, grabbing New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein - inking him to a three-year $87 Million deal.

This is on the heels of the OKC Thunder trading Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso in a one-for-one swap with the Chicago Bulls. A move that in itself threw the Thunder's first five into flux given the nature of Giddey's 218-game starting streak which was snapped in the team's final two playoff games.

Now with the high price tag on Hartenstein and the need to replace a former starting staple, the Oklahoma City Thunder will have to figure out a new way to open games. However, Mark Daigneault has made it clear that the team cares more about the closing lineup than the squads' starters. That sentiment won't stop the topic from being front of mind for Bricktown observers.

While many believe Hartenstein is owed too much money to come off the pine, but if there was any organization not afraid to buck trends it would be this one - plus, the sticker shock is a luxury the Thunder can afford with such a talented young core that futures most on the roster still on their initial packs or team-friendly contracts. Hartenstein only lags $five-million behind superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, so the price tag reasoning falls flat.

Playing Chet Holmgren as a big power forward has been an idea that often interests those that follow the seven-footer, but Oklahoma City has made it clear they view him as more of a center. He held up well in that role a season ago and listening to Daigneault and Sam Presti assess the advantages the Gonzaga product gives them in that spot, there is little reason to believe they will give that up.

On the flip side, the Hartenstein-Holmgren minutes will likely supersede the Jaylin Williams-Holmgren minutes which only accounted for two percent of the team's total.

Ultimately, the Thunder will likely settle on a Gilgeous-Alexander-Dort-Caruso-Jalen Williams-Holmgren starting lineup that allows them to not only match this pass season's success, but enhance it.

Swapping Caruso for Giddey gives Oklahoma City a two-time All-Defensive member who is one of the best in the league at scaling up to defend bigger wings - Offensively, Caruso fits more naturally off the ball, still with some playmaking feel but more importantly the cutting and 3-point shooting make life easier on his counterparts.

While the idea of the Thunder being less rigged in the starting five is certainly on the table with the addition of Hartenstein against bigger matchups, the base starting five will likely take the same shape as last season.

This allows Daigneault to spread the rim-protection minutes across all 48 rather than being put in a pinch of the big men overlapping.

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