
Eckert walks out of press conference after 'spygate' questions
Southampton's Tonda Eckert walks out of press conference after 'spygate' questions
Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein initially struggled to find chemistry on the court for the OKC Thunder. However, after some adjustments, they have become a perfect fit, enhancing the team's front line.
Isaiah Hartenstein was skeptical. Only a few games into the Thunderâs experiment of starting Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren alongside each other, the chemistry between the two big men was clunky on both ends of the floor. Hartenstein could feel it. Anyone watching could see it.
Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, had been a center all his life. But the Thunder, knowing it had to beef up its front line after a Round 2 loss to the Mavericks in 2024, signed Hartenstein that summer in free agency to do just that.
Because both dealt with injuries, it wasnât until February of last season that Holmgren and Hartenstein finally started alongside each other.
âThe first couple games, we didnât think it was really going to work out,â Hartenstein said.
The Thunder looked its best with one center on the floor. Having Holmgren start, and Hartenstein backing him up, seemed like the answer (with an emerging Jaylin Williams playing spot minutes as a third big.)
Fifteen months later, and with one championship already in tow, the idea of not starting Hartenstein sounds absurd. The Thunder has bashed the Suns and Lakers in these playoffs thanks in part to its double-big tandem.
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Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren (7) walks in before the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
Holmgren and Hartenstein initially struggled with chemistry, leading to concerns about their effectiveness as a duo on the court.
The Thunder signed Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to strengthen their front line following a Round 2 playoff loss to the Mavericks.
Holmgren and Hartenstein began playing alongside each other in February of the last season after both dealt with injuries.
Jaylin Williams plays spot minutes as a third big man, complementing the starting duo of Holmgren and Hartenstein.

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Oklahoma City's Ajay Mitchell (25) before the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
Oklahoma City's Isaiah Hartenstein (55) walks in before the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) before the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
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Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren (7) walks in before the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
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Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren (7) walks in before the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
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Oklahoma City's Ajay Mitchell (25) before the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
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Oklahoma City's Isaiah Hartenstein (55) walks in before the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
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Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) before the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
Mark Daigneault loves to be exploratory â and borderline daring â with his lineups, but credit the Thunder coach for seeing the Holmgren-Hartenstein fit through.
âWe were pretty confident it could work, because the goal is to get your best players on the court, and theyâre two of our best players,â Daigneault said. âItâs our job to figure out how to make that work, and we have a team that dances with us on that.
âAnd ultimately their heart being in it is important. It doesnât matter what weâre doing â if theyâre not fully invested in it, itâs not gonna work.â
But oh has it.
Holmgren, arguably the Thunderâs most impactful player through six postseason games, had 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks in the Thunderâs Game 2 win against the Lakers on Thursday. Hartenstein had 10 points, nine boards, two steals and two blocks.
Remember when the Mavericksâ frontcourt duo of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford made the Thunder look small in this very playoff round two years ago? Feels like a decade ago. That was also the series when Josh Giddey got benched.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti addressed both issues the following offseason. When Giddey asked for a trade, Presti flipped him to Chicago for Alex Caruso (seems to have worked out). Presti also signed Hartenstein, the former Knick, to a three-year, $87 million deal â the most OKC had ever spent on a free agent.
Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren (7) steals the ball from Los Angeles' Austin Reaves (15) during Game 2 of the NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
Those were championship-sealing moves, and now the Thunder is vying for another.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got even better and Ajay Mitchell broke out, but what makes this Thunder team even scarier than the last is the cohesion between its pair of 7-footers.
Just about every Thunder lineup combination is elite, but last year when Holmgren and Hartenstein shared the floor, the Thunder outscored opponents by 13.5 points per 100 possessions. This year, that number vaulted to 20.9 points per 100 possessions.
The Thunder bullied the overmatched and undersized Suns in Round 1, and now Holmgren and Hartenstein are making easy work of the Lakersâ bigs in Round 2.
Both are critical to the Thunderâs offense â Holmgren with his floor spacing and play finishing and Hartenstein with his passing, screening and that delicate floater â but theyâre even more lethal on defense. Holmgren is the spindly shot blocker and all-around disrupter. Hartenstein is the enforcer, the organizer and the chief rebounder.
âTheyâre not only great rim protectors, theyâre really versatile defenders that do a lot of things for us,â Daigneault said. âWhen theyâre out there together, itâs incredibly impactful. Iâd throw J-Will in there. Heâs about as disciplined and intelligent and physical (player) as there is. Heâs taken I donât know how many charges already in this series. Heâs in the middle of everything, too.â
Jaylin Williams offers shades of both starting centers offensively. He can shoot like Holmgren and pass like Hartenstein. And while not the same caliber of defender, Williams has improved immensely on that end of the floor. The former second-rounder out of Arkansas is overqualified to be a third big, but thatâs what makes the Thunder great. The roster is filled with guys who would play a larger role on almost any other team.
âMark has a big toolbox,â Hartenstein said. âWe have so many different ways we can play. Itâs definitely unique. But I think also, the way our teamâs built is that we really donât have any egos, and I think thatâs what helps Mark kind of just do whateverâs best for the team.â
The Thunder has the personnel to be the aggressor or counter puncher in any situation. It can match teams big-for-big in ways it couldnât pre-Hartenstein. And if a team wants to play small against OKC? Well, good luck. Daigneault can either zag by going big or match the opponent with a small-ball lineup. Either way, advantage OKC.
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Oklahoma City's Isaiah Hartenstein (55) goes up for a shot as Los Angeles' Deandre Ayton (5) during the Game 2 of the NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, May, 7, 2026.
âThatâs the goal, is to have as broad a menu with (as much) quality as possible,â Daigneault said.
The Thunder is a Michelin star restaurant but with as many offerings as The Cheesecake Factory.
âIf you donât have quality,â Daigneault said, âit doesnât matter what you put out there.â
It goes back to what Daigneault said about finding ways to get his best players on the court, even if it requires some shuffling.
The power-forward version of Holmgren became an All-Star. Maybe even an All-NBA player, as weâll soon find out. His 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in the regular season were both career highs.
After averaging 11 points and 11 rebounds in his debut Thunder season, Hartenstein averaged nine points and nine rebounds this season, albeit in fewer minutes. His field goal percentage and rebound percentage both increased.
And the partnership between Holmgren and Hartenstein blossomed.
âI think we just did a great job working with each other, watching film,â Hartenstein said. âWe were together all summer. I think itâs just (trying) to make each othersâ lives easy, and I think weâve really found the right way to do it.â
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder tandem of Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein has blossomed