The Thunder’s rotation took a massive hit when Chet Holmgren went down with an injury in November. Holmgren was in the middle of a monster start to the season, coming of a 29-point performance than included three blocks against Houston. It was a huge bummer, and it looked like the Thunder would struggle in his absence.
Then, Isaiah Hartenstein was healthy enough to return to the lineup. All the concern about the Thunder’s struggles without Holmgren were quieted when Hartenstein made a bigger impact than anyone could’ve anticipated. Now, two months later, Oklahoma City is soaring.
Without Holmgren, the Thunder currently rank first in the Western Conference by a wide margin of 6.5 games. The team has an unfathomable 30-5 overall record and is tracking to be one of the greatest NBA regular season teams of this decade. A big test against Cleveland looms on Wednesday night, but Oklahoma City has done a terrific job of weathering the storm without a potential All-Star in the lineup…