OKC Thunder Need Offensive Aggressiveness From Isaiah Hartenstein

The 2025-26 NBA season has been one defined of cases of history for the Oklahoma City Thunder, having one of the greatest starts of a season in NBA history, with all three teams having similar starts reaching the NBA Finals. In a nutshell, the defending champs have continued similar production instead of falling into a championship hangover.

Despite the constant greatness, the Thunder have fallen into the team's first slump of the season, losing two of their last three games, falling to a still incredible record of 25-3. The losses included a two-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the semifinals of the Emirates NBA Cup and a five-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.

In both losses, Oklahoma City shot poorly from behind the arc and struggled to garner consistent offensive production. Leaning on a consistent positive from the team's strong start to the campaign could be a way to go.

In the Thunder's 112-107 loss to the Timberwolves on Dec. 19, center Isaiah Hartenstein garnered just two shot attempts in 28 minutes of play, scoring just one point. This was the German big's lowest point and attempt total of the season.

Before being sidelined with a right soleus strain, Hartenstein was having the best season of his career, averaging 12.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game on 67.1% from the floor in the first 19 games of the season.

In his return from the injury report, Hartenstein looked to have not missed a beat, shooting 5-of-9, scoring 10 points. Against the Timberwolves, however, the ball did not swing his way.

If the Thunder want to continue to play strong offensive basketball, they will have to continue to allow Hartenstein to play as an important part of the system, like he was at the beginning of the season. The Thunder are 8-0 when he shoots 10 or more shots in a game.

The addition of Jalen Williams back in the lineup also affects how the Thunder utilizes Hartenstein, as Williams's increased amount of drives to the rim forces Hartenstein to push deeper into the paint to create space near the basket. This can take away some of the high-efficiency looks he was getting at the start of the year.

The Thunder are at their best when Hartenstein is a vital part of their offense, with a strong floater game and high-post passing. He is an all-around unit to have for the reigning champs. He will need to be more aggressive on offense, and the Thunder will need to scheme the system more in his favor than they did against the Timberwolves to continue their fiery start to the season.