IHart and I-Joe could create the next lethal Thunder combo

One of the outstanding themes of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2024 training camp is lineups. With all the versatile talent on the roster, the number of lineups the team can utilize is one of the points of excitement entering the 2024-25 NBA season.

From shooters and scorers to rebounders and defenders, the Blue and Orange’s youth stands out for good reason. Knowing they possess something that few teams do, Oklahoma City got right to work in camp, trying various lineups and seeing, for example, which tandems and trios produce the most effective results.

Of course, practice doesn’t nearly simulate live NBA action. But in terms of the plays the team can draw up and the different offensive concepts they can run, now is the ideal time to figure out what works. Besides, with all the lockdown defenders on the court, let’s just say the offense is getting a solid run for its money.

One lineup to look for in 2024

The addition of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein this past offseason was striking on many levels. Besides what they deliver to the table individually and their status as some of the league’s elite role players, their incredible versatility on both sides of the ball gave an existing multifaceted roster even more firepower.

Caruso can guard as many as three positions, and Hartenstein possesses impressive foot speed on the perimeter, in addition to the damage he causes in the interior. The Thunder big man was a crucial piece for the New York Knicks last season. From his rim protection on one end to his ability to generate open looks for 3-point shooters on the other, seemingly every minute he was on the floor served impactful for his team.

In an increased role next season, the Thunder hope the 26-year-old will deliver even more, turning in his best campaign in the NBA. One of the ways he could be used more on the floor is when OKC uses a perimeter-heavy lineup, with guys like Isaiah Joe — one of the league’s top outside shooters — on the court.

Isaiah’s role on offense becomes infinitely more valuable thanks to his ability to set bone-crushing screens. And while we’ll have to wait and see how things turn out on the court before a certain role is established for the 7-footer, training camp has shown that he can be the perfect centerpiece with perimeter-oriented players around him.

“They’ve played together a couple times now,” says head coach Mark Daigneault of the Joe-Hartenstein pairing. “I think Isaiah Hartenstein has a good history and feel for playing with guys like I-Joe. [Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte] DiVincenzo was the most recent. [Joe has] high shooting gravity, good mover; he really understands how to play with those guys. I actually think it’s a little bit of an adjustment for I-Joe. It’s the first time he has played with a big that’s like that. … We’ll see how it evolves, but they’ve done a nice job together.”

After training camp, the Thunder will have four preseason games to experiment as much as possible before the regular season tips off on October 24. The most important thing is that Oklahoma City has a potent five-man lineup for every category, whether that’s a shooting lineup, defense, rebounding, or scoring. That alone is a recipe for winning a championship.

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