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    • Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein shine in OKC Thunder’s preseason debut
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    Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein shine in OKC Thunder’s preseason debut

    Idris Bevan Posted on

    SAN ANTONIO – Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s 112-107 win over the Spurs on Monday night in the opening game of the NBA preseason:

    More: What to watch as the OKC Thunder opens the 2024-25 NBA preseason against the San Antonio Spurs

    Chet Holmgren, Mismatch Killer

    Thunder center Chet Holmgren sat down with All-Star Paul George over the summer for his podcast, one of those places invented for storytelling and often distorting stories. But Holmgren was honest about last season. Brutally honest.

    He wanted to kill the disagreements, he told George. Chris Paul, Paul Reed, Reed Sheppard – anyone who lacks standing range shouldn’t be able to bother him at all, regardless of their wiry frame. If Monday was any indicator, Holmgren got his wish.

    In nine minutes, Holmgren scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting. No jumpers, no 3-point attempts. Simply everything he promised.

    Faced with close closeouts, Holmgren dodged contests and played beyond the rim. At one point he faked a handoff, a clear lane and an invisible (and smaller) defender standing between him and the rim.

    Spurs striker Jeremy Sochan took the brunt of Holmgren’s performance.

    “There are several ways to do this,” Holmgren said of attacking mismatches. “You can do it in the 1-on-1 setting, you can do it in the action setting. Some people are not used to guarding in certain situations. Tonight was mostly focused on switching and five-outs. A lot of it was quick action, quick rolling, quick catching and reading. I just have to keep working on mixing in some of the post-up one-on-ones.”

    On one possession, with new signing Isaiah Hartenstein at his side, Holmgren sprinted into a true dribble handoff. He caught Sochan backing away and then threw a one-handed dunk right over him. Again.

    Holmgren ultimately left the game with what appeared to be groin pain. After returning to the bench, still in full uniform, coach Mark Daigneault decided to leave him out before he could do any more damage – Sochan, that is.

    More: What could the new OKC Thunder Arena look like? This is what industry insiders suggest

    Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein appear as announced

    On Monday, in keeping with the preseason, there was an insight into the Thunder’s new veterans.

    Neither Alex Caruso nor Hartenstein started. The two played 17 minutes each, making their debut as substitutes in a game that featured Ousmane Dieng, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins in the starting lineup.

    Nevertheless, both of them noticeably turned the game on its head when they arrived.

    Caruso offered a not-so-subtle reminder that there are a number of players in OKC whose skills overlap with his, but none who do it as well as he does.

    His swipes always seem to produce results. They overwhelm other guards and wings, they surprise strikers and centers. Caruso seemed to be single-handedly responsible for half of the team’s distractions.

    Hartenstein was as announced. A force worth mentioning at the lowest point. A passerby worthy of oohs and aahs. A screening that leaves doctors recommending masks and ballplayers like Jalen Williams wanting more. Player general Sam Presti threw a bag to patch holes.

    “Defensively, he shuts things down in the game,” Daigneault said of Hartenstein, who also had eight rebounds and seven assists. “Him and Chet out there, I think, were really encouraging defensively.”

    For those who initially have questions about his offensive fitness and the induction process, the 7-footer has already been involved in successful moves with Holmgren. Guards surrounded him and he was able to find them with relative ease. Isaiah Joe will have to get used to Hartenstein, not the other way around.

    Perhaps the connection connected Hartenstein and Caruso through the frontal lobe at the same time. One reaches for a ball, the other chases after it. One lands in the right slot, the other watches how the ball could fly off the edge. Not long after checking in, Hartenstein dribbled inside and scored twice by sending the ball behind him to Caruso with a no-look pass.

    “I was just hoping he was looking at that point because it was a little late,” Hartenstein said.

    After a sufficient display of their connectivity and a touch of what fans craved, the pair retreated to the bench and made an impact as quickly as they reached for deflections and rebounds.

    More: Five elements I would like to see in the new OKC Thunder arena | Mussatto

    Rookies show themselves

    Jalen Williams warned that there might be something to these middle-of-the-order guys.

    Maybe they don’t enter with the expectations, even after trading for five second-round picks like Dillon Jones did. Or after a week of praise from Daigneault, who isn’t easily impressed but has found ways to show Ajay Mitchell his love.

    But there might be something there for middle school children.

    If nothing else, there is trust. Dillon Jones radiated with every pull-up. J. Ajay Mitchell got bold as he made his way through the lane and killed closeouts.

    The preseason should be their stage. They confiscated it.

    “We don’t want them to think too much so early, and I thought their confidence was really high,” Daigneault said.

    Mitchell, who scored 19 points on 13 shots, was smart. Sift through pick-and-rolls and recognize when the wing was his and his alone. He doesn’t have the dramatic, wiry frame that normally provides elasticity, but he still finds a way to get around defenses.

    Jones showed cojones. A few times when possessions went south in the preseason, the 240-pound guard fell into his isolation bag. He showed off sidesteps and jumps off the dribble en route to 17 points on 11 shots.

    A good day for those who play without expectations. And yet Daigneault still keeps them on their toes.

    “Still, her execution was a C,” Daigneault said. “Whatever. It wasn’t great. It wasn’t supposed to be this early either. But you saw two guys go out there and really compete with confidence and try to do the right thing and that’s all, what we can ask for right now.”

    Thunder versus rockets

    NBA PRE-SEASON: Wednesday, 7 p.m. at Paycom Center (Bally Sports Oklahoma)

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    Idris Bevan
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