OKC Thunder Confident In Double-Big Lineup

It took a while to finally unveil the double-big lineup, but the OKC Thunder have peppered it into its lifestyle from Feb. 7 through the homestretch of the season.

Isaiah Hartenstein started on the shelf with a hand injury suffered in the second-to-last preseason game back in October. Before the former Knick could return to the Thunder's lineup for his Bricktown debut, Chet Holmgren was in street clothes after suffering a hip fracture back on Nov. 10 against the Golden State Warriors.

They finally shared the floor together against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 7 and were under a microscope ever since.

Ahead of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a week off before beginning its quest for a championship on Sunday.

During the Oklahoma City Thunder practice session on Thursday, bench boss Mark Daigneault was asked about the double-big lineup of Holmgren and Hartenstein.

"It's been good on offense. It's been good on defense. It controls the glass on both ends of the floor. Those guys work really well together," Daigneault said. "It's given us a completely different tool to draw on. We won't do it exclusively, obviously, but it'll be a part of what we do no matter who we play."

The Thunder are clearly confident in the looks that the double-big lineup presents to other matchups. Oklahoma City can use this to not only combat size in the Playoffs but impose its will on smaller teams if done right.

Oklahoma City still awaits its first round opponent which will be decided on Friday night in Memphis as the Grizzlies host the Dallas Mavericks at 8:30 PM CT.