Thunder’s defense is breaking the Lakers, starting with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein

OKLAHOMA CITY — The longer Deandre Ayton hesitated, the shorter his window of opportunity became.

Nothing about his early feathery forays into the paint, and subsequent futile results around the rim, suggested that the veteran big would find much success in the restricted area. A smattering of chances — some with Isaiah Hartenstein within earshot, others with Chet Holmgren in the vicinity — had fallen helplessly by the wayside. The visual of the two Thunder bigs together, patrolling the area like crooked cops, certainly spelled danger.

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But Ayton had to do something. Try to, at least. A nifty, threaded pass from teammate LeBron James, momentarily freezing the Thunder defense, almost necessitated as much. The only issue for Ayton, as he pump faked and shuffled his feet under the basket, was that no one was buying the deceit. So when Ayton rose for the last time, Hartenstein and Holmgren rose too. In the blink of an eye, the pair recast itself as an Olympic volleyball duo, Hartenstein keeping Ayton stationary and setting up the play for Holmgren to spike the ball against the glass. Challenge denied. Protectors of the realm.

“They’re not only great rim protectors,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said following his team’s 125-107 win in Game 2, “they’re really versatile defenders that do a lot of things for us. When they’re out there together, it’s incredibly impactful. I’d throw [Jaylin Williams] in there — he’s about as disciplined, intelligent and physical as there is. Those three guys just bring a blend of all the things I just said. It’s huge for our defense and they were huge tonight.”

Oklahoma City’s defense, a vast, multilayered network of nuance, skill, aggression and precision, challenges even the smartest of opposition. Through two games, the Lakers have turned the ball over 39 times, with the Thunder scoring 46 points off of said mistakes. But for all of their depth and quality, crisp rotations and aggressive closeouts, the formula doesn’t work without Holmgren and Hartenstein. In Game 1, the Lakers converted just 58.6 percent of shots at the rim, good for the 25th percentile of all playoff games till date. In Game 2, that number rose slightly to 65.2 percent, but still ranked in the 41st percentile. For all the well-deserved praise of Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs and how often the Frenchman deters shots from the rim, Holmgren/Hartenstein isn’t out of the realm of effectiveness. With that pairing on the floor, playoff opponents are taking just 22 percent of shots at the rim, converting 59.0 percent of them.

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The insistence of doubling down on size at a time where pace and skill have taken over has always been a bold move from the Thunder — which a number of teams have tried, and failed to emulate — but it’s a bit different down south. This isn’t your typical case of largely immobile bigs; both are more than capable of covering ground, switching onto a myriad of assignments all while possessing the ability to crash the glass. During the regular season, Oklahoma City held opponents to just 100.7 points per 100 possessions with both Hartenstein and Holmgren on the floor, a mark that would clear their own teams (which led the pack) by as much of a difference as first and tenth place. Their playoff performance, which has dipped some as the competition has increased, would still give them a top-five defense in the regular season and among the best eight playoff teams. The pair combined for 32 points, 18 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 blocks on Thursday evening, a constant thorn in a desperate Lakers’ side that struggled to generate much rhythm.

(Holmgren’s varied skill set, in particular, truly makes this partnership work. Hartenstein’s ability to swat away James’ entry passes and Holmgren’s penchant for erasing potential alley-oops affords Daigneault flexibility in how he positions both on the floor, whether they’re playing together or not. But Holmgren’s floor spacing at the other end — he’s shooting 45 percent from deep on four attempts per game — allows him to be used in various lineups, all to positive effect. Per CourtSketch, Holmgren was on the floor in two of the Thunder’s four most pivotal lineups, outscoring the Lakers 30-15.)