How an Overpaid Role Player Made The OKC Thunder NBA Offseason Winners

How an Overpaid Role Player Made The OKC Thunder NBA Offseason Winners

just the fact that the OKC Thunder landed big man Isaiah hardenstein has considered the top available free agent big man this off season already changes the narrative for a franchise that’s never really been a top NBA free agent destination but when you look into his contract in more detail the more you see how much of a steal this acquisition actually was for the Thunder well OKC signed hardenstein to a three-year deal worth 87 million which at first glance might actually look like an overpay for a role player but first and foremost the fact that the third and final year of Harden Stein’s deal is actually a team option is already a huge win as it allows OKC to have flexibility in the summer of 2026 which is when Max extensions for Chad homegrand and Jay dub will start to kick in plus the fact that Harden Stein’s contract is front-loaded with most of his money coming during the first two years also makes a lot of sense for OKC because it’s during these next two years when the team would really have a lot of salary cap room available to use anyway then when you dive deeper and you start to look into to his on court production the thought that hardenstein just might actually be worth all that money starts to hit you as the 26-year-old big man just came fresh off a breakout a year in New York where he averaged 7.8 points 8.3 rebounds two and a half assists more than a steal and more than a block per game in 25 minutes per contest which numbers would even be higher if it didn’t come off the bench during the first two months of the Season nonetheless hardenstein thrived in a bigger role for the Knicks shooting more than 66% from the field in 49 games games as a starter with the team having a 32 and 17 win loss record in those games on the offensive end hardenstein scored in a lot of putbacks he acted as a playmaking hub and he set hard screens for Jaylen Brunson as part of the two-man game that served as the engine of the NBA’s number seven ranked offense but more importantly hardenstein also served as the backline rim protector for the Knick’s top 10 defense in fact hardenstein was one of only five players to record more than 80 Blocks in 80 steals last season a list which includes Elite defensive Bigs like jiren Jackson Jr Anthony Davis and Victor wanyama well even the advanced numbers love hardenstein as the defensive box plus minus and the defensive estimated plus minus metrics also paint him as either the third or the second most impactful defender in the entire NBA last season regardless of position so what’s good everyone it’s R balls here and in this video let’s talk more about how the acquisition of Isaiah hardenstein potentially just made the OKC Thunder the favorites to out of the Western Conference next season so let’s get to [Music] it overall the big question revolves in how Isaiah hardenstein fits in a Thunder team that already has an elite Center in Chad hren well sure most people would say that you can’t pay someone 87 million to come off the bench to probably play Just Around 18 minutes per game but I think OKC doesn’t operate with their rosters conventionally anyway and I think Harden Stein still mainly comes off the bench where he functions as a high minutes backup big but either way depending on the lineups they face he and Chad homegrand should still be sharing the floor which would put Chad at the four spot in certain situations and there’s definitely massive potential in that two big man combination especially on the defensive end as the Thunder are now primed to have a wide-bodied center in hardenstein to defend those massive Bigs like yic and embiid well sure hardenstein is by no means an instant stopper against the best NBA big as he somehow struggled guarding Joel embiid in last season’s playoffs but still OKC can pretty much rely on his ability to protect the paint against anyone else in fact last season opponents only shot 52 and a half% when hardenstein was the nearest Defender at The Rim which is the fifth best defensive Mark among all 113 players to contest at least 200 shots from that area putting him only behind Joel embiid Rudy goar kristo porzingis and Chad hongren now the crazy thing is with the already having hardenstein to defend big bodies in the paint they can also simultaneously deploy Chad hren as perhaps the NBA’s most overqualified shot blocking helps side Defender who can just roam around the floor and basically come out of nowhere to alter shots as the Thunder’s last line of defense well obviously when he’s sharing the floor with hardenstein placing Chad at the fourth spot defensively makes sense because he mobile enough to guard quicker forwards in the perimeter but I think hardenstein isn’t just going to be limited to a station defensive role in the paint as well because although he’s not as quick twitch on defense as chat he still got above average foot speed as well as solid recovery instincts for a big man which should allow OKC to deploy him in different types of ball screen coverages and even some switches in the perimeter just like in this play you can see hardenstein initially guarding aung Wu on the Block the side ball screen from ungu forces hardenstein to ice bonovich momentarily but as a kungo Rolls to the basket watch how quickly hardenstein recovers to the pain to a kungu right at the rim this time hardenstein actually guards Jay dub from the perimeter the jab step opens up the driving lane for Jay dub as he initially gets some separation but hardenstein uses his mobility and timing to still catch jdub with a block at The Rim obviously OES can always go back to a five out and all switch lineup which features a combination of Shay Caruso lud Dort Jay dub KAS Wallace and Chad hongren but as you can see hardenstein isn’t immobile on the defensive end either and his addition just gives OKC a safety spot against certain big lineups he can be deployed as the team’s sole big man in certain situations but he can also be a nice frontcourt partner for either one of Chad or Jay will when they’re on the floor also last season we’ve seen how OKC was willing to give up some Edge on the rebounding area with their lack of interior size in exchange for enhancing their floor spacing by playing Five out well hardenstein won’t be a floor spacer for OKC at least not as a volume shooter I think but he definitely would help them increase their rebounding percentages he is a competitive rebounder who finished in the top 20 of rebounding percentage over the past 2 years but most notably hardenstein thrives on the offensive glass as a putback machine last season he grabbed 14.4% of his teammates missed shots which is the second highest offensive rebounding rate in the entire NBA only behind Clint capella but for sure Harden Stein’s offensive impact for OKC won’t just be limited to scoring off foot backs and securing Second Chance opportunity hardenstein is also a Savvy playmaker who has an advanced passing vision and feel for a big man well OKC as a team already have plenty of good passers but after the loss of Josh giddy I think hardenstein might be the best playmaker on the roster right now relative to position last season he dished out five assists per 100 positions which ranks as the 12th best Mark among all centers to play at least a thousand minutes on the floor plus Harden Stein’s play making Brilliance is also supported by the ey test in this possession you can see hardenstein acting as the ball screener for OG anobi he rolls through the paint but as soon as cat helps on him he knows that he now has an open guy on the weak side so he makes the right read and makes the kick out pass to Julius Randall who now has a wide open shot on the corner this time you can see hardenstein as a hub on the high post he gets the pass from Brunson and although he doesn’t get the handoff in time he waits for that slight window where Brunson gets ahead of his man which is when he makes that precise bounce pass setting up Brunson for the tough finish at the basket well Mark digal is one of the most creative offensive Minds in the NBA right now and I think he’ll find ways to feature hardenstein play making out of the mid or the high Post in probably a more four out offense they can deploy at times as opposed to the five out lineups that OKC relied upon almost exclusively last season but there are more ways to feature hardenstein in OKC’s offense again he probably won’t space the floor for the Thunder but hardenstein is a strong finisher in the paint he’s constantly flirting with a 70% shooting Mark at The Rim the past two seasons and he’s particularly efficient from the short mid-range where he loves to deploy his go- to push floater on the way to producing an elite 54% shooting mark from within 10 to 12 ft of the basket last season and against Philly in the 2024 playoffs when shooting those floaters mostly as a counter against the 76ers drop coverage hardenstein actually shot 65% on a total of 20 attempts so in OKC it should be easy to imagine Shay and Jay dub knifing into the paint and hitting hardenstein with drop off passes where he could finish with those floater shots although for sure compared to the defensive end there’s more uncertainty on the offensive side of the ball when playing hardenstein alongside Chad hren well sure having a pair of dynamic screeners in hardenstein and Chad homr will be a luxury for OKC’s ball handlers hardenstein will be their traditional steamrolling big man to the paint while chat will continue to torch defenses of the pick and pop the only thing is while chat is a more than cap capable and a more than willing three-point shooter who shot 37% from Deep last season on almost five attempts per game his percentages actually started to drop as defenses paid more attention to his shot towards the end of the season but now during those times when he would have to share the floor with hardenstein who’s a non-shooter Chad would definitely have to be more consistent with his three-point shot to prevent teams from cheating off him to instead help guard Shay and J dub under drives to the basket in addition chat’s ball handling and Agility were also huge advant manages for him as the five but it would be interesting to see how he would scale up on his shot making from the perimeter in those moments he will have to play the four spot with hardenstein clogging the paint as the team Center well even as a thunder fan I don’t really think hardenstein will improve OKC’s offense dramatically during the regular season but in the playoffs having options is everything and hardenstein just gives OKC a new look for playoff defenses to worry about well he and Chad hren will probably only share the court for a handful of minutes in each half but depend on the opponent OKC can adjust on a night toight basis if it turns out that there’s a compatibility problem with a double big man front Court they can always go with either one as the solo big out on the floor but overall OKC will now have the luxury of mixing and matching whatever Parts they need and I think the best part about a hardenstein acquisition is that there isn’t nearly as much opportunity cost as such a huge contract usually in curse OKC’s cap sheet is so clean and they also have a treasure chest of draft assets and players that that they could still be major players in the trade market if they ever choose to and just like with the Boston Celtics it’s hard to find holes in the roster that OKC already has right now the additions of hardenstein and Caruso this summer as well as the resigning of critical role players Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins have simply turned OKC into the best team in the Western Conference no one on paper is better equipped to go toe-to-toe with a Boston Celtics next season but for sure it all begins with how Isaiah hardenstein changes the dynamic for the OKC Thunder lineup construction from this point on and depending on how quickly OKC reaches their ceiling as a team this massive contract for a role player might even be seen as one of the greatest value deals in the NBA in a few years but what do you guys think about the Isaiah hardenstein acquisition for OKC feel free to drop your thoughts in the comment section below and again if you’re new to the Channel please consider subscribing as well again this is real balls and I’ll see you on the next one peace

#NBA #OklahomaCityThunder

The OKC Thunder were the top seed in the Western Conference and they are now looking like the big winners of NBA free agency and the NBA offseason. The Thunder signed big man Isaiah Hartenstein to a 3-year 87 million deal just a week after Sam Presti and the OKC front office acquired all-NBA defense guard mainstay Alex Caruso in exchange for Josh Giddey. The NBA Summer league is ongoing but the NBA better watch what the OKC Thunder have done with their offseason moves. With a core that already features NBA superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holgmgren, Jalen Williams, and Lu Dort, OKC’s roster looks built for a potential NBA championship next season. One of the biggest signings in Nba free agency has been Isaiah Hartenstein but is he the missing piece of the Thunder’s championship puzzle?

Bronny James has been the talk of the Summer League, Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks has been a big splash, Chris Paul to the Spurs with Wembanyama is big news, but the OKC Thunder just might have been the biggest winner of the NBA offseason. Aside from signing Isaiah Hartenstein and trading for Alex Caruso, the Thunder also made significant roster moves by signing high-level role players Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to long-term deals. The Thunder can still make some other moves before the season starts. Lauri Markkanen is yet to be traded and so is Zach Lavine.

But is this Oklahoma City roster strong enough to own the Western Conference and beat teams like Luka Doncic and the Mavs, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, or even the defending champion Boston Celtics? This could be an NBA dynasty waiting to happen specially with all the draft assets Sam Presti has accumulated throughout the years.

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NBA news, OKC Thunder, NBA offseason, Team USA, Isaiah Hartenstein signs with OKC, Alex Caruso Thunder trade, Josh Giddey, Sam Presti, NBA offseason moves, Bronny James, NBA summer league, winners and losers of the NBA offseason, Paul George to Philadelphia, Klay Thompson Dallas Mavericks trade, Chris Paul to the Spurs, NBA free agency, Josh Giddey Alex Caruso trade, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jaylen Brown, Bronny is not a pro

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