Oklahoma City’s size was seen as a playoff advantage all season. But against San Antonio, it’s started to work against them.
Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein still provide the Thunder with length, rebounding, and rim protection. But Victor Wembanyama has turned that pairing into an offensive logjam.
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That issue fully surfaced in Oklahoma City’s game 4 and game 6 losses, where the Thunder produced their lowest scoring playoff game of the season while repeatedly struggling to create clean driving lanes.
San Antonio isn’t just defending anymore – they’re shaping exactly where Wembanyama spends his time on court. The series is now tied 3-3, heading for Game 7.
Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Wembanyama’s role mirrors that of a free safety
San Antonio has been making greater use of Wembanyama as a roaming helper, particularly when Hartenstein is on the court. This is the main spacing problem.
When Hartenstein hangs around above the break or sets screens without being a shooting threat, Wembanyama can drift into the lane without giving up anything on defence. That allows him to do both tasks at once.
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If Holmgren makes a move behind the play, he can still recover towards the rim while staying in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s driving path. ESPN highlighted how Wembanyama’s role resembles an off-ball rover rather than a traditional matchup. It’s something Oklahoma City hasn’t found an answer for just yet.
The numbers from Game 4 explained how badly the spacing issue spiralled. Oklahoma City finished with their lowest-scoring playoff game in five years. The Thunder repeatedly forced drives into a congested lane while San Antonio maintained steady rotations around Wembanyama’s reach.
Thunder’s two-big lineup is running into problems against Wembanyama
The issue isn’t really about whether Holmgren and Hartenstein can play together. It’s about how much space they leave for Wembanyama to operate. Analysts following the series have pointed out that the Thunder’s effective field goal percentage has dropped to around 40% when both are on the court.
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The more interesting numbers come when the lineup splits up. Oklahoma City has posted roughly a +15.4 net rating with Holmgren playing without Hartenstein and a +17.0 mark with Hartenstein anchoring solo lineups. That matters because it suggests the issue is not either player individually.
For much of the season, Oklahoma City’s size seemed like a strength. But in this series, it’s become more of a roadmap for how San Antonio can defend them. The pairing of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein still offers the Thunder length, rebounding and rim protection.
The problem is that Victor Wembanyama has turned that combination into an offensive traffic jam. This goes beyond simple defence – the Spurs are actively steering Wembanyama into positions where he can have the most impact.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
