The Thunder have spent the offseason building out real depth at center, but that doesn’t mean they can afford to park Chet Holmgren in one spot and call it a day.
Oklahoma City brought back Isaiah Hartenstein on a three-year, $75 million deal, then added Aday Mara in the first round of the Draft to pair with second-year center Thomas Sorber. Jaylin Williams can still give them some small-ball minutes, too. On paper, that’s a pretty healthy mix of bodies and skill sets in the middle.
The catch is that two of those names are still very much works in progress. Sorber missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, while Mara likely still has a lot of conditioning work ahead before he’s ready for heavy NBA minutes. For now, the Thunder appear comfortable letting all four centers cycle through different roles until the long-term picture becomes clearer.
That’s where Holmgren comes back into focus.
Over the past couple of seasons, Oklahoma City has gotten a lot out of playing Holmgren at the four next to Hartenstein. But his biggest edge is his versatility, and his rim protection is too important for the Thunder to start treating center as a locked-up position that Holmgren only visits in emergencies. Even if that means fewer minutes for Sorber and Mara over the next couple of years, Holmgren needs time at the five.
That doesn’t mean the Thunder can ignore their young bigs. They still need to figure out what they have in Sorber and Mara as quickly as possible, especially with another roster squeeze looming next offseason as new financial pressures and a fresh wave of draft picks arrive. Both players likely can’t be long-term fixtures, which only raises the urgency to get them on the floor.
And they will need minutes somewhere. Even if Jaylin Williams shifts into more of a bench power forward role to help with spacing, there’s still only so much room to go around at center.
Holmgren’s case is pretty clear from last season. He started 28 games at center, mostly when Hartenstein was out, and 41 games at power forward. With Holmgren on the floor, the Thunder were 11.2 points better per 100 possessions.
Nobody is seriously suggesting that Mara or Sorber should be blocked from starting whenever Hartenstein misses time in the regular season. The real issue is how Mark Daigneault manages the rotation from night to night.
As the two young centers develop and start to demand more minutes, there will be a natural temptation to trim Holmgren’s time at the five and make more room for the bench pieces. But Oklahoma City can’t afford to lose the value Holmgren brings there. Keeping him sharp and comfortable at center is part of what gives the Thunder their best shot when the games matter most.
The development of Sorber and Mara matters. It just can’t come at the expense of Holmgren’s frontcourt flexibility.
In Other News...
Aday Mara Just Gave Thunder Fans A Reason To Look Again
Aday Mara gave Thunder observers something useful to file away during Spains FIBA World Cup Qualifiers game against Greece, where the recently selected big man showed more of the energy and physicality Oklahoma City had been hoping to see. The 12th overall pick was active on the glass and around the rim, offering a cleaner look at what he might bring once the Thunder open training camp.
For a rookie still being evaluated through summer and international play, the encouraging part is not just that Mara was involved, but that he looked more assertive doing it. Spain still came up short, and Oklahoma City is keeping expectations measured, but performances like this are the kind that can make a team pause and revisit how quickly a young player might fit into the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Ajay Mitchell May Hold One Key To The Thunders Repeat Push
Ajay Mitchells second season gave the Thunder a useful jolt off the bench, as the 24-year-old settled in as the teams Sixth Man and showed he could help in a lot of different ways. He averaged 13.6 points, 3.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds, and for a team trying to stay near the top of the West, that kind of steady production matters even more when the rotation gets tested.
Mitchell also enters this year with a chance to stretch into a bigger offensive role after missing part of the previous season and the playoffs with a soleus strain. The Thunder have some room to ask more of him now, and he has been working on his outside jumper to be ready for it, a small but important step for a player who could become one of the key pressure valves in Oklahoma Citys repeat push. [Read more 🡒]
Lu Dort Is Finally Opening Up About The Thunder Moving On
Lu Dorts next chapter is taking shape in a new uniform, even if the move still carries a little emotional weight for anyone who watched him grow into a fixture in Oklahoma City. After the Thunder sent him to the Hawks, Dort stayed busy on the international stage, putting up 25 points for Canada in a FIBA World Cup qualifier win over Argentina and showing the same edge and energy that made him such a presence in OKC.
Now the focus shifts to Atlanta, where Dort has already sounded energized about the change and the chance to share the floor with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a familiar face from Canadas national team. For Thunder fans, it is another reminder of how quickly the roster keeps evolving, while for Dort it looks like the kind of fresh start that can make a long offseason story feel a little more real. [Read more 🡒]