Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein Rank Among NBA's Top Duos

The Oklahoma City Thunder have plenty of solid players, but this duo is among the best pairings.

Nov 2, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) yells for the ball after Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) grabs a rebound during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Paycom Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma City adding Isaiah Hartenstein to the team's roster following the 2023-24 season was one of the biggest player acquisition moves in Thunder history.

Hartenstein is undoubtedly OKC's best free agent signing, and was a key piece of the Thunder's title run in 2025. While Mark Daigneault's team didn't come away with the Larry O'Brien Trophy again in 2026, Hartenstein's value was once again on display in the postseason.

Aside from his on-court skills, Hartenstein has also done significant work in the local community and seems to fit well within the organization.

After two seasons with Oklahoma City, the Thunder inked Hartenstein to a three-year contract extension. That appears to be a wise move, as Hartenstein is one of the best big man pairings with OKC's star guard.

OKC Thunder duo Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Hartenstein are the Thunder's most productive pick pairing of the last five seasons, according to data provided by Todd Whitehead of Sportradar, which ranks No. 12 in the NBA during that span.

Each team's most productive* pick pair from the last 5 seasons. pic.twitter.com/ouHbE1Pl1R

— Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) October 3, 2026

Whitehead also explained what metrics he used to calculate every NBA team's most productive pick pair from the last five seasons.

"Based on points over expectation, which I'm defining as the difference between the total points scored by each pair's team and the (number) of points the league-average pair would have generated with the same number of pick actions," Whitehead wrote. "It's a mix of volume and efficiency."

In 706 possessions that have seen Hartenstein set a pick for Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder have scored a combined 773 points, good for 1.09 points per possession, which ranks No. 15 amongst Whitehead's data set.

While Hartenstein and Gilgeous-Alexander have been a successful duo, the two have only had two years to carve out a spot on the list. The top three pairings on Whitehead's graphic each have more than 1,300 possesions together, giving Atlanta, Denver and Indiana's top pairings more volume.

Notably, though, only two of those pairings are still in tact.

Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner took the top spot, but Turner is no longer with the Pacers. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray hold the No. 2 spot and are still a strong pairing, but Atlanta's duo of Trae Young and Clint Capela, who rounded out the top three, have both moved on from the Hawks.

The Gilgeous-Alexander and Hartenstein pairing will likely be a lethal combination again in 2026-27 as the Thunder look to make another deep postseason run.