OKLAHOMA CITY — Isaiah Hartenstein preys upon rest. Don’t let him see an assuming defender’s shoulders drop, or their heels dig behind them like Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu’s in Sunday’s fourth quarter. The Oklahoma City Thunder massive man broadens his shoulders and widens his stance, brolic, simply as 7 toes and 250 kilos would counsel.
The realization flashed in Dosunmu’s eyes a cut up second too late. His chase of Thunder guard Jared McCain, who orbited round Hartenstein for an open shot, grew to become helpless. What are a pair of seconds when barreling towards a brick wall?
Hartenstein nerds over the nuances of screening like a craftsman. He’s flanked now by two sharpshooters — an improved Isaiah Joe and the newcomer, McCain — who allow him to ramble.
“I think a lot of it is his experiences with all these different teams and players he’s played with,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault mentioned of the connection Hartenstein has nurtured with Joe and McCain, which helped propel Sunday’s 116-103 win over Minnesota. “He’s really turned screen-setting into an art.”
Screening for reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is completely different from screening for former teammate Jalen Brunson, identical as Brunson’s idiosyncrasies should not James Harden’s. For years, Hartenstein obsessed over tendencies and angles. Three video games into life with McCain, he’s already assured detailing the variations between him and Joe.
“I think he’s just really good at, in general, coming off screens, shooting fast,” Hartenstein mentioned of McCain. “I think that’s even a big improvement in (Joe’s) game. He’s coming off a lot faster this year. His feet are set a lot faster. I think it just helps him getting off the shot. He’s one of the best shooters in the league, IJoe.
“IJoe is a little different than Jared ’cause he’s also a great cutter, so you kinda have to be ready for that. Donte (DiVincenzo) was probably the quickest off (the screen), where I could just throw it right behind me. Jared’s a little similar.”
When Sunday summoned that lineup at first of the second and fourth quarters, Minnesota remained in attain. Oklahoma City compelled 22 turnovers (with simply seven of its personal), but till that lineup’s late-game insertion, the Thunder offense struggled to create separation.
The Thunder entered the fourth 17 of 38 within the paint (44.7 p.c). Gilgeous-Alexander seemed hungover from historical past, capturing 3 of 16 at one level and risking his newly claimed 20-point streak.
Entering Sunday, Hartenstein, McCain and Joe logged 47 minutes along with a plus-38.1 web score, per DataBallr. They completed Sunday’s win a mixed plus-minus of plus-49.
McCain required little rhythm or room. He flashed round Hartenstein’s sturdy screens, firing away off audacious lead passes. McCain and Joe mixed for 35 factors and 9 3s.
Hartenstein by no means scored Sunday, solely quarterbacked.
“He’s not a box-score junkie,” Daigneault mentioned.
His synergy in New York with DiVincenzo provided the template as soon as the large man arrived in Oklahoma City. Despite flashes, it took Hartenstein and Joe a lot of final season to domesticate a reliable connection — partially as a result of earlier than Hartenstein, the Thunder hadn’t had a screener remotely shut, in model or ability.
Up till final month, McCain didn’t bear in mind taking part in with an enormous who pitched passes, a middle he can whisk round. His closest reference was his former Duke teammate Kyle Filipowski.
“But not like one who would drop (the ball) and find the screen,” McCain mentioned. “It’s pretty awesome to play with someone like that.”
McCain slipped right into a refined position instantly, absent expectations to resemble who he was earlier than a knee harm ended his rookie season. His homework for an evolving defending champion grew to become discovering his area of interest in lineups like this and elevating his defensive depth to a decent flooring.
He requested questions and realized preferences. Weeks later, he’s seemingly helped type a deadly lineup from a connection that existed effectively earlier than his integration.
“I watch (Joe) all the time,” McCain mentioned, “and the way he’s able to just come into the game and affect it immediately is just … I watch that, and I want to emulate that.”
Gilgeous-Alexander known as the deployment of McCain and Joe alongside him “a match made in heaven.” They’ve additionally accentuated Hartenstein’s inventive freedom. He’s toggling between fancier passes and smaller home windows with much more ambition.
“When you just kinda hand it off, you’re more liable to get an offensive foul,” Hartenstein mentioned. “I kinda learned it from Draymond (Green). Draymond used to do it with Steph (Curry). Draymond and (Andrew) Bogut. They would just throw it between their legs, and it gave them some time to be able to screen.”
Factor in Ajay Mitchell, a godsend of a ballhandler, and Chet Holmgren, who inherited a lot of SGA’s effectivity Sunday en path to 21 factors on 9-of-13 capturing, and they type a five-man lineup that outscored the Wolves by eight.
The protection is evergreen. Paycom Center stays a pit. Opponents perceive they could must crawl out from beneath Oklahoma City’s physicality and flurry of fingers. Stretches like Sunday’s third-quarter shut proceed with regularity.
Cason Wallace picked Edwards’ pocket within the backcourt. A Naz Reid turnover gave approach to a Jaylin Williams 3. A Wallace block compelled a shot-clock violation. Each occasion occurred in a two-minute span. SGA even supplemented his capturing woes with maybe his greatest rim-protection recreation of the season.
But that tenacity is the baseline. As is the reigning MVP’s shotmaking brilliance. They’re the value of admission to say themselves over their Western Conference constituents.
A title protection calls for that the Thunder discover manufacturing behind versatility and a heap of lineup configurations. That they draw inspiration between lulls.
Hartenstein has his latest muse.
