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. 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.
Continue to the original source for the full article.