The Thunder's HOSTILE Game Plan Is DESTROYING Wemby

Isaiah Hartenstein provides the essential physical strength, grit, and competitiveness that Chet Holmgren lacks, making him indispensable in defending Victor Wembanyama. Thunder GM Sam Presti recognized this need, investing heavily in Hartenstein to counter dominant big men.

The hosts repeatedly state Hartenstein's importance, noting he does the 'dirty work that Chet can't do' (00:03:17) and that Presti paid for his 'guts and grit' (00:01:01). They highlight Hartenstein's ability to 'face up to him' and prevent Wemby from beating him in Game 5 (00:02:17).

The Thunder's game plan is to aggressively keep Wembanyama out of the paint. They achieve this by having Hartenstein front him, showing multiple bodies, and collapsing on drives, forcing Wemby to either take difficult shots or pass to open teammates who often miss.

A host describes the strategy: 'just let Hartinstein just face up to him' (00:02:17). They detail how 'Wallace, Caruso coming across, and you had Harkinstein still in front, and you had Cadet on the backside ready to come over the block' (00:05:37) to frustrate Wemby. The Thunder are 'showing bodies for Wimby' to make him 'secondguessing the drive' (00:07:49).

Wembanyama's current offensive skill set, particularly his lack of a refined post-game and a consistent jump hook, makes him vulnerable to physical defenders like Hartenstein. This forces him to rely on perimeter play or act as a decoy when facing strong interior defense.

A host states, 'Wimby don't have that skill yet. We've been saying it. He don't have the Tim Duncan skill where he can catch and face you up in the post, make a move, and do his thing' (00:18:08). They explicitly ask, 'WHEN HAVE YOU SEEN WENDY do a jump hook? Never. You know why? Cuz he doesn't work on it' (00:18:31).

The Spurs' offense suffers from an over-reliance on three-pointers and inconsistent shooting from role players, which negates Wemby's ability to create open looks. Additionally, the team lacks a player capable of consistently delivering effective post-entry passes to Wemby, further limiting his opportunities in the paint.

One host notes, 'Last night, we forced a lot of play based on OKC making the [__] adjustments' (00:10:47) and 'the game plan can't be live by the three, die by the three' (00:10:18). Another reveals, 'Kenya said on the couch spoke with one of the coaches on the spoke with one of the coaches. They said they don't have somebody that can throw throw the ball down there' (00:13:46) for post-ups.