When it comes to the 2024 NBA offseason, few fans can argue that the Oklahoma City Thunder weren’t one of the true winners of free agency and the draft.
From selecting Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell in the 2024 NBA draft, to trading Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso and then signing three new contracts in free agency — headlined by the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein from the New York Knicks — Sam Presti put in a lot of work after his team exited the playoffs in the second round, and he got his flowers as a result.
And yet, as the Thunder entered the offseason loaded with draft picks and cash, fans had to wonder if they really did enough to bolster their roster heading into a very important season, especially since they have a $8 million room exception burning a hole in your pocket.
You see, in 2023-24, if there was one area the Thunder could have improved in, it was rebounding, as the team ranks 27th in rebounds per game, behind, well, every team in the NBA except the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets. While the addition of Hartenstein should make life easier for Chet Holmgren and company on the boards, as the Rookie of the Year runner-up was the only player on the team who averaged more than 6.5 rebounds per game, if Presti really wanted to shore things up and get a few more offensive possessions for his team, there were players on the market who could have been viable options like Saddiq Bey, who signed with the Washington Wizards for $20 million over three years.
Now, for fans who don’t know, Bey tore his ACL this year in March and is expected to miss much of the 2024-25 season as a result. For the Wizards, this doesn’t particularly matter since they aren’t expected to be very good and could theoretically trade the veteran forward in the spring to a team that could benefit from his defense, shooting, and yes, rebounding, but for a team like the Thunder who also doesn’t have to worry much about the regular season since they’ll almost certainly earn a top-4 spot based on their current roster, his addition could have felt like a trade deadline addition already built into the roster, or a moveable contract that could facilitate another deal.
Would Bey have been a good addition for the Thunder? Sure, they could have added Bey to the roster, continued to play their youngsters, and then added him to the rotation in time for the playoffs, but there are still some intriguing options on the market who could add rebounding at the 4 spot alongside Holmgren, including Precious Achiuwa, who finished last season playing with Hartenstein in New York. If the Thunder want to play Holmgren at the 5 but still have a speedy rim protector on the floor, Achiuwa could fill that role and do so on a reasonably priced contract like the one Gary Trent has been forced to accept due to the market.
One way or another, the Thunder need a bit more rebounding to really take a step forward in 2024-25; Hartenstein will certainly help, but that doesn’t mean a player like Bey couldn’t have been a valuable addition as well.
Isaiah Hartenstein wants to expand his game for the Thunder
While the Thunder could have been a bit more proactive in building their roster with veteran talent, specifically in the frontcourt where rebounding has been a noted issue for the team, in Presti’s view, they have added an ideal player in Hartenstein, who should thrive alongside Holmgren at the five.
“Well, I mean, just going by his trajectory and his career over the time he’s been in the NBA, his units play well together,” Presti told reporters at Hartenstein’s introductory press conference. “He’s got a great team mentality. I think his game is a difference-maker in that regard as well because he’s a link-up player. People want to play with players like that. And he’s worked really hard to get to this point in his career, and he’s still really young. So that’s one of the things we’re really excited about as well: He’s a young player who’s still developing, exploring his game, and we’re excited to do that with him.”
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Asked about his own game and his fit alongside the Rookie of the Year runner-up, Hartenstein noted that after being assigned to play with the traditional five-man roster in New York, he would like to spread the field more as a true spread five.
“I think you’re an NBA player, you have to adapt to certain roles, and that’s what I had to do in New York. I think my passing ability probably came out last year, so my first year I had to adapt to a certain role,” Hartenstein said. “That was something I felt like I could really bring to the table, expanding my game like I mentioned before, just getting back to the shooting aspect because I was doing that before, so it’s really about getting back to that and being more versatile because that’s what the team needs.”
In theory, Hartenstein shooting more 3s in a five-out offense, whether playing in place of or alongside Holmgren, wouldn’t help the team’s rebounding much unless he immediately drives to the basket after taking a shot, but then again, basketball isn’t a vacuum, and no offense adheres to perfect schematic purity. Adding a 7-foot-1, 250-pound center who can rotate on defense and switch to small forwards on defense — all coming off a career-high 8.3 rebounds per game on the season — should benefit the Thunder this fall, and hopefully next spring, too, when it will really matter.
(tags to translate)Isaiah Hartenstein
