OKC Thunder Bigs Add Versatility Few Teams Have

Oklahoma City's frontcourt is anchored by three highly versatile players.

Feb 3, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward Isaiah Hartenstein (55) gestures to his team after a play against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder are one of the better and more versatile rosters in the NBA, as showcased by a shiny championship ring, and the best record in the Western Conference.

But there are several layers to the success onion for OKC, one of which is the versatility of their centers, namely Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams.

Holmgren’s talent speaks for itself with his new All-Star bid and second-best odds at Defensive Player of the Year. But Hartenstein and Williams have a trait that all teams covet and few teams actually have: elite, hub-esque passing ability.

Both are able to operate with the ball in-hand, running dribble handoffs with consistent touch, and hitting open cutters and shooters with consistency.

Sunday night’s bout against the Mavericks showcased just that, as the lineup of Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe blew the game open.

Thunder equation,

iHart hub offense + Joe, McCain, Chet = fun

— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) March 2, 2026

The Thunder operated with an arm’s length lead for much of the first half, but was able to put their foot on the gas with the aforementioned five. Hartenstein was able to wheel and deal to the more talented 3-point shooters on the roster, finishing with four assists to zero turnovers.

Following the tilt with Dallas, head coach Mark Daigneault talked about the luxury of having multiple hub-like bigs:

“It just makes us really versatile,” Daigneault said. “It allows us to play guys in a lot of different situations — Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] tonight, you saw how aggressive they were with him in pick-and-roll coverage, and you need pocket-play on those plays, you need somebody that can catch in the pocket and make sound decision,”

“They’re really skilled, they’re tough, they check a lot of boxes.”

SGA, the reigning MVP and one of the primary beneficiaries of his big’s passing talent, weighed in as well.

“We as a group pride ourselves on versatility,” he said. “It just makes the defenses life harder — the more individual weapons each player has, there’s more things for them to worry about. That just trickles down all the way, from me benefitting off them, to them benefitting off me.”

The Mavericks’ life was certainly made harder on Sunday evening as the Thunder coasted to a 13-point win, good for their 47th of the season. They maintain a grip on No. 1 in the West, with a 2.5-game lead over San Antonio.

Oklahoma City next takes on the Bulls at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3.