OKC Thunder's Evolution Continues to Reinforce Interior Presence

Oklahoma City was regarded as one of the worst rebounding teams just two years ago. Early into this season, the team is beginning to shift that narrative.

Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks for a shot against Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) and center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Two years ago the Oklahoma City Thunder's krytponite was as clear as day.

A first-year Chet Holmgren at the helm of the team's big-man lineup, the Thunder saw many wins slip away simply from the fact that the team just couldn't rebound the ball. Granted, there was a lot of growing that young squad had yet to experience at the time—but that year's Thunder claimed the first seed in the West, but couldn't do much with it due to it's poor rebounding ability.

Losing in the second round of the postseason to the dual-manned interior of the Dallas Mavericks, Daniel Gafford and rookie Dereck Lively II took advantage of the lack of Oklahoma City's interior depth and strength and outdid them. Combined with P.J. Washington's scoring outbursts and of course the skill sets of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led Thunder couldn't get past.

But that offseason, general manager Sam Presti realized the team's needs as this need was glaring, and he went out to provide some support for that. He went after the New York Knick's Isaiah Hartenstein, who was entering free agency.

Presti picking up Hartenstein in free agency marked one of, if not the biggest free agent signings in the organization's history—and it proved to be a massively important decision to the next season's success of claiming an NBA championship.

Now heading into two years with Hartenstein and a more experienced Holmgren, this team has catapulted itself from a bottom-five rebounding team in 2023-24 to a a top-seven rebounding team now 10 games into the 2025-26 season.

Oklahoma City sits at the top of the league in defensive rebounds per game and seventh in total rebounds. Hartenstein's 11.7 rebounds has certainly been the biggest reason for that—leading the Thunder in that category and sitting at sixth overall across the NBA in boards per game.

Holmgren, despite missing a few games due to back stiffness, sits 19th in the league for rebounds per game with 8.8, the highest he's seen now three seasons in the NBA thus far.

It's been a complete shift. Oklahoma City addressed its issue to win an NBA title last season, and now the team is looking to be one of the best in the NBA at it—and it's already one of the best in the league in so many categories as it is.