When Oklahoma City signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million deal in the 2024 offseason, many criticized the move as a severe overpay. Their concerns were at least somewhat valid in a vacuum, but they did not grasp that Hartenstein was worth every penny for the Thunder. 

Fast forward one year, and the Larry O’Brien Trophy now resides in Paycom Center. However, Oklahoma City cannot afford to become complacent if it wishes to repeat as champions, which means every player on the roster must strive for improvement in some capacity. Keep reading for three areas that Hartenstein should sharpen. 

Chemistry with Chet Holmgren

The Thunder had mixed results with lineups featuring Holmgren and Hartenstein. 

According to NBA.com, the double-big lineup held opponents to a mere 102.7 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs. Teams struggled mightily to score against the unit’s rim protection, size and defensive rebounding. 

Because Hartenstein holds down the paint, Holmgren is allowed to roam and wreak havoc as a help defender. It’s extremely difficult to get a clean shot off, much less score, when Holmgren decides to rotate to the basketball. 

On the other hand, Oklahoma City only scored 107.8 points per 100 possessions with Holmgren and Hartenstein on the court together. They rarely seemed to understand how to enhance each other and where to position themselves on the court to maximize success. 

If Hartenstein can learn to be more effective when he’s not the main screener or roller, then it would be a huge breakthrough for the unit. Finding cracks in the defense, moving to space and boosting his lob chemistry are vital goals. 

The good news is that the double-big lineup won its minutes despite only having a small amount of reps before the playoffs due to injuries. They are now battle-tested and have an entire upcoming regular season to work out the kinks. 

Free Throws 

Hartenstein is a career 69.3% shooter from the charity stripe, including the regular season and playoffs. 

He only goes to the line for a pair of free throws around once per game, so upgrading his efficiency will not impact a ton of possessions.  

But he’s too important for Oklahoma City to bench, and opponents may resort to intentionally fouling him, also known as the Hack-a-Shaq method, during crucial postseason possessions. 

He needs to be able to step up confidently and hit those pressure-free throws at a decent rate. A 75% clip translates to 1.5 points per possession on average, which is far too costly for opponents to freely give Oklahoma City even in tight situations. 

Hartenstein reaching that 75% threshold would put to rest any worries about opponents forcing Mark Daigneault to take him off the court. 

Screening Predictability 

Teams know that Hartenstein does not have the shooting chops to pick-and-pop off of high ball screens, so opposing bigs can sit back to protect driving lanes. 

Adding more unpredictability to his screens would keep defenders guessing and less prepared to handle what’s coming. For example, Hartenstein routinely fooled defenses in the playoffs when he faked handoffs and sharply turned the corner for drives to the hoop. Slipping screens also caught his opponents off guard. 

The vast majority of his high ball screens and dribble handoffs should still be bone-crushing screens meant to free up his partner, but it may benefit Oklahoma City’s offense for Hartenstein to slightly increase his deception rate. 

3 Areas of Improvement for Chet Holmgren Heading Into 2025-26 Season Chet Holmgren was creeping into All-NBA territory before suffering a fractured hip last November.