The Oklahoma City Thunder now trail 2-1 in the NBA Finals after falling 116-107 in Game 3 to the Indiana Pacers. While the box score offers the usual suspects for concern — a turnover disparity, Chet Holmgren’s inefficient shooting night, or another explosive outing from Bennedict Mathurin off the bench — the real issue lies beneath the surface.
There’s one glaring stat that doesn’t show up in the box score: Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein have shared the floor for just 10 total minutes this series.
The Thunder are plus-7 in those 10 minutes. Yet, on the NBA’s biggest stage, head coach Mark Daigneault has largely abandoned the double-big lineup that helped catapult Oklahoma City to this point in the first place.
It’s a baffling decision — especially given its proven success.
Throughout the playoffs, the Holmgren-Hartenstein frontcourt tandem started and thrived. In the first round, the Thunder swept the Grizzlies behind their interior dominance against Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. In round two, they outlasted the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic in a seven-game slugfest. Against Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle in the Western Conference Finals, the same lineup prevailed again, this time in five games.
Then, the Finals arrived — and Daigneault pivoted.
Mark Daigneault abandoned a lineup that was dominating
Instead of building on what worked, the Thunder rolled out a new starting five: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, and Holmgren. While smaller and more mobile, presumably to keep up with Indiana’s relentless transition pace, the adjustment hasn’t paid off.
In this restructured rotation, Isaiah Hartenstein, the team’s second-highest-paid player, has been reduced to a reserve role. Through three games, he’s averaging just 5.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and one steal in 19 minutes per game — all postseason lows. For a player who was a pillar of their playoff identity, the shift has been as abrupt as it’s been ineffective.
Yes, the Pacers are quick, opportunistic, and relentless in their push for fast-break opportunities. But the Thunder's previous opponents weren’t exactly slow-paced either. Each round presented unique physical and tactical challenges, and Oklahoma City met them without needing to abandon its foundational structure.
Now, with the Pacers two wins away from their first championship, the Thunder face the bad news — they’re two losses from watching another title chance slip away. The good news? There’s still time.
Mark Daigneault has proven to be a master of adjustments all season. But if there were ever a moment to lean on the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” that moment is now.
There’s no room for overthinking. The Finals demand clarity, not creativity for creativity’s sake.
Get back to what worked. Let Hartenstein and Holmgren share the floor. Because if Oklahoma City sticks with what's not working much longer, they might be out of time.