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OKLAHOMA CITY — When Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein inked a three-year, $87 million contract, he knew he had an opportunity to compete for a championship in 2024-25. It factored into his decision-making process as a free agent. Hartenstein knew adding him to a talented Thunder defense, featuring All-Star forward Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, would give Oklahoma City a significant advantage in the Western Conference.
Add a group of defensive-minded guards, such as veteran Alex Caruso and Lu Dort, and Hartenstein says the unique defense of the Thunder separates them from any other team in the NBA.
“I think our defense is special because we don’t have no weak links. Normally, a team can kind of go out and hunt one player. We don’t really have that much,” Hartenstein said. “For me, I can just adjust to whatever the team needs. What makes me different is that I can play different coverages, and I can play different roles throughout the defense. And I think multiple guys on the team can do that.
“Guys like Dub, Caruso, Cason, Lu, Chet, I mean, probably name the whole team, that can go from a certain style of defense to another style of defense. I think that’s what makes us special,” Hartenstein concluded.
The success has yielded the Thunder's defense to an elite level.
Mark Daigneault says Sam Presti relationship influenced Thunder
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault discussed his relationship with Sam Presti, the Thunder GM who constructed a title-contending roster after promoting Daigneault to head coach and eventually signing Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein. Daigneault says his relationship with Presti has always been smooth due to their long-standing history, as Mark was the head coach of Oklahoma City’s G League affiliate before becoming an assistant coach.
“When I started as the head coach, I already had six years in the organization. So, that’s a six-plus-year relationship that we already had,” Daigneault said. “He knew me very well. I knew him very well. We had seen each other over the course of a long period of time in a lot of different situations. So, there wasn’t a relational feeling out process there. It was a continuation of an existing relationship that we already had — which the communication between those two positions is essential — and I think that comfort helped with that.”
The history between the two undoubtedly eased the transition for Daigneault.
“A lot of those challenges come from philosophical differences,” Daigneault added. “And I was like raised here in professional basketball. I didn’t work anywhere else in pro basketball prior to coming here.”
Now, Daigneault is making the first NBA Finals appearance of his career.
