How shorthanded Thunder can succeed without Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein

The Oklahoma City Thunder will undoubtedly have its hands full against All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, as life without All-Star Jalen Williams continues for the defending champions’ thin frontcourt. No Isaiah Hartenstein or Jaylin Williams to help Chet Holmgren, and no Alex Caruso coming off the bench, as the Thunder is again down to 10 active players for Wednesday’s matchup.

After entering Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavs without Williams and Hartenstein, coach Mark Daigneault left Cleveland with two more injured players in Jaylin and Caruso, both of whom are ruled out against the Bucks. Fortunately for the Thunder, Holmgren caught fire in the fourth quarter, where he scored 11 of his 28 points, including back-to-back threes at the start of the final frame, and a dagger to close out the Cavs in a 136-104 blowout win.

Holmgren went 11-for-16 from the floor, including 4-for-5 from deep. He also finished with eight rebounds and two blocks, as his 28-point performance is the kind of production that will carry the Thunder to victories amid tremendous losses in Williams and Hartenstein to Oklahoma City’s starting frontcourt.

Ahead of facing the Bucks, Holmgren addressed the Thunder’s current hurdles and what his team needs to do to fill the void left behind in Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein’s absences.

“Injuries are a part of basketball. We never want to be missing anybody, but also understanding that it is a part of basketball, and it happens,” Holmgren said. “Every team deals with it. You can’t use it as an excuse. So, you have to go out there and try to win games. That doesn’t mean trying to visibly fill any holes or gaps, it’s just continuing to hammer away at what we do; what we do well.”

Leaning on its defensive identity, the Thunder forced the Cavs into 21 turnovers, which yielded 23 points, as the defending champions were led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting. It’s an impressive feat for the Thunder, missing an All-Defensive Second Team forward in Jalen Williams and its defensive stalwart in Caruso.

But is it sustainable in the long term?

Seeking consistent, clean 3-point looks is key for Thunder

After watching Isaiah Joe connect on 79 threes at a 41.8% clip ahead of this year’s 3-point contest, Thunder forward Chet Holmgren urged the NBA to call Joe to participate. Joe is 10-for-16 in his last four games, as his 3-point touch has heated up of late, which is great news for the shorthanded Thunder.

In a game where the Thunder finished 49% from deep, Joe (four), Chet Holmgren (four), and Lu Dort (five) combined for 13 of the Thunder’s 23 threes, which matched a season-high against the Cavs. The defending champion’s top-ranked defense created open looks on the opposite end of the floor.

The Thunder capitalized on the defensive stops, which led to a plethora of threes. For Holmgren, Joe shooting at a career-best 41.8% clip from three makes his team hard to beat, especially when the threes are falling in a team effort, as in Monday’s win against the Cavs.

“It’s extremely valuable. When somebody shoots 40 [percent] from three, it doesn’t always mean that they can kill you from deep. If somebody’s shooting 40 from three on 1.2 attempts, they’re not really going to beat you doing that. But if you give Zay space, he can get them up pretty quick,” Holmgren said. “That’s really what makes him so dangerous; his ability to get that shot off in a variety of ways. But also, shoot 40 percent while doing it.

“For a lot of people, if you pick up their volume, their efficiency would go down, and that’s just not the case with him. Because of that, we just have to continue to look for him, continue to use him in that way because it’s definitely a talent that works in our favor when we use it right.”

While making 23 threes isn’t sustainable, creating open looks from beyond the arc is. And while the Thunder has at least six active players shooting better than 37% from three this season, including Joe, Holmgren, Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Aaron Wiggins, and Kenrich Williams, all six make their presence felt on defense.

However, size will remain a significant hurdle for the Thunder.

How will Thunder make up for the lack of size?

Despite being outrebounded, a regular occurrence since losing Isaiah Hartenstein in December, the Thunder prevailed with its transition defense and interchangeable lineups. Thunder veteran Kenrich Williams was the common denominator for those lineups, as the forward has filled in on a full-time basis, including closing tightly contested games, such as scoring 21 points in a 117-116 win against the Grizzlies earlier this month.

The veteran power forward is now one of coach Mark Daigneault’s most valuable bigs, especially without All-Star forward Jalen Williams, who reprised his role at center, at times, from last season when the Thunder were without Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. Still, against one of the most explosive scorers in Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’ll be interesting to see how the defending champions deter his impact.

It’s a great test for Holmgren and the shorthanded Thunder, as he inches closer to his first All-Star selection. Holmgren, who Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson referred to as one of the best rim protectors in the NBA, will continue to anchor the defense and face one of his greatest challenges in Antetokounmpo. Holmgren is the odds-on favorite to win this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Thunder will conclude its four-game road trip before heading home for a three-game homestand, starting with the Pacers and Raptors on Friday and Sunday, before ending with the Pelicans on Tuesday at the Paycom Center.

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