The debate over whether or not Isaiah Hartenstein should start for the Thunder remains a hot topic among fans in Oklahoma City as training camp nears, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman.
Lorenzi expects Hartenstein to toggle back and forth between the starting five and the second unit depending on matchups, writing that whether or not he starts matters less than the lineups he’ll play with.
Lorenzi wouldn’t be surprised if the Thunder’s top free agent addition plays alongside Chet Holmgren frequently at the start of the season, as head coach Mark Daigneault gathers information on how the duo performs together, but Hartenstein will also be a crucial piece in non-Holmgren lineups, which badly needed a rim protector last season, Lorenzi notes.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- The ongoing development of Anthony Edwards is the key to the Timberwolves continuing to raise their ceiling, according to John Schuhmann of NBA.com, who breaks down some numbers and film in considering how the All-NBA guard could keep getting better.
- Referring to the four-time Defensive Player of the Year as the league’s “favorite pin cushion,” Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic defends Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert from some of the criticism he’s taking this offseason after being on the wrong end of a Luka Doncic highlight in the Western Conference Finals and playing limited minutes for France during their run to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Gobert was a huge part of Minnesota’s success last season and will be even more critical in 2024/25, Krawczynski contends.
- In a subscriber-only mailbag for The Denver Post, Bennett Durando explores several Nuggets-related topics, including what Michael Porter Jr.‘s next contract might look like and where Zeke Nnaji stands as he enters a four-year, $32MM extension. General manager Calvin Booth has made it clear he still believes in Nnaji, Durando writes, but the big man’s deal “obviously looks terrible” after a poor 2023/24 showing.
OKC lineup will be match up based, the West is tough so I don’t think they can mess around too much with it. They will lock in a line up after All Star.
SGA, Jalen, Dort, & Chet are the for sure starters they can switch Caruso and IHart. They have so many young players they need to play them early to build up trade interest with like a Dieng. Still have picks with not as much roster space.
That’s part of what’s great about Holmgren, he’s versatile enough to play 2-5. I do think Dort will usually start though because the Thunder are at their best when Shai is surrounded by shooters and everyone can switch on defense. They’ll probably start Hartenstein against like Sacramento and Dallas where the bigs aren’t perimeter threats.
Holmgen and IHart is going to be a tough duo. Still see OKC growing as a team. They will have to adjust to losing Josh. Time to see this team grow up.