When the Oklahoma City Thunder signed breakout center Isaiah Hartenstein at the start of free agency, the move was considered the final piece of their championship puzzle.

After one competition, however, the great stallion Chet Holmgren had been able to prove that Hartenstein could be a luxury rather than a necessity.

It may take a while for this to happen considering I-Hart is injured to start the season, but with performances like Chet’s against Denver in Thursday’s season opener, it’s hard not to believe this could easily may turn out. be the case.

When the Thunder were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 playoffs, a glaring issue was the lack of strength and size at their center position. That’s when the team decided they would pursue the former New York Knicks standout, signing him to a lucrative three-year deal worth $87 million.

During the preseason, Hartenstein would already prove his worth by getting multiple rebounds and assists in every game. This started a conversation about whether he should eventually start, which would push Holmgren to the four.

Then news of his left hand fracture broke, creating panic among the OKC community as the team was already dealing with injuries in the big men’s department. This left the Gonzaga product as the only healthy center left on the roster to start the year.

Going into the season-opening game against Denver, the concern among many fans was that the reigning rookie phenom would not be able to hold his own against a bigger and stronger team, similar to how he faltered during last year’s postseason . This made it seem like Chet was automatically counted as a factor in this matchup against Nikola Jokic and company.

Then he silenced all the doubters!

The bigger players proved to be no challenge for the “Long Arm of the Law” as Chet would have an impressive game, with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks.

The offensive part of the second-year center’s game has been moving in the right direction. For starters, his off-the-dribble offense was impressive, as he was able to read when to drive into the paint from the edge and when to get the pull-up mid-range jumper.

The most underrated part of his game that has improved is his finishing ability. Chet would eventually go to the line three times for an and-one chance against the Nuggets. With the high-end free throw skills that Holmgren possesses, he should look to welcome contact more and, hopefully, get to the line for easy points.

The one aspect of his scoring game that needs work is his three-point shot, where he went 0-for-5 from deep. Holmgren had a chance to drop a nice 30-point performance if he could have hit from beyond the arc like he did last season. Of course, this could just be a growing pain in his second year and shouldn’t be too concerning for fans.

Defensively, he has somehow improved his rim protection even further. The young center rises strongly, hands straight in the air, and is no longer pushed into the paint like that. This may be partly due to the weight he has put on this offseason.

This shows the commitment the promising young player has to improving his game and not having any weaknesses when he is on the floor. Last year, the youngster realized that a major weakness of his was that he would be bullied too often, and that he had to do something about it.

The Thunder’s first game of the year showed how much he may have improved.

Sure, Oklahoma City would love to see Hartenstein on the field, but this is still the same team that won 57 games last year. Everyone on the team has improved, and this will allow the new center to rest and ensure he returns 100 percent healthy.

The improvements seemingly made by not only Chet, but everyone on the Thunder show that signing Hartenstein was not as necessary as people thought, but was merely a luxury that Sam Presti and company could afford.