Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the same leader who spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to acknowledge his teammates’ roles in his being a two-time MVP. SGA doesn’t just do it for the sake of it. He believes there’s no glamour and success without them. Game 2 of their series against the Spurs was a representation of this camaraderie. The bench contributed 50+ points again. Most importantly, Isaiah Hartenstein managed to curb Wembanyama by being disruptive all night. “We saw his effectiveness tonight for sure,” SGA said during the press conference. But that wasn’t his tone right after the game.

When asked about Hartenstein’s defense on Wemby, the MVP said, “I’m not sure if it was good to be honest,” minutes after the end of Game 2. It was an awkward moment for fans who couldn’t fathom SGA dissing his own teammate, but they also somewhat believed it. Either way, the Thunder ace later clarified, “I didn’t really hear her. And then once I realized what she said, I gave her the right answer”.

That right answer for acknowledging Hartenstein’s impact while guarding Wembanyama. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went into detail, speaking about the importance of the OKC center’s physicality in such matchups. Whatever the former Knicks center did, whether it was a few bumps or just letting Wembanyama know he’s right there, it prevented the 7’4″ Spurs star from dominating as he did a few nights ago. Wemby shot just two free throws and had to resort to shooting far more than getting clean looks inside the paint.

In Game 1, it was comfortable for Victor Wembanyama to gain position inside the paint and go to work. He was matched up against Alex Caruso, who can’t physically do anything when the ball is thrown at Wembanyama’s head. Hartenstein could, although controversially at times. When reviewing his defense on Wembanyama, Reggie Miller said, “He’s just holding, he’s grabbing, he’s clinching”. That’s where some fans believed SGA was just being too honest in his feedback about his teammate.

He did have a suspicious play go unnoticed where he blatantly pulled Stephon Castle’s hair. But aside from that, most of what the Thunder center did fell well within the thresholds of playoff basketball. He came out to be scrappy and make Wembanyama uncomfortable. He achieved that to some extent, even pulling down 8 offensive boards for the Thunder.

Mark Diagneault has found his answer for Victor Wembanyama

A OKC fan was probably screaming at their television, asking Daigneault to get some size on Victor Wembanyama in Game 1. They didn’t use Chet Holmgren, rather relying on Caruso’s post defense. But even when it clearly didn’t work, the Thunder head coach never looked over at Hartenstein. He had been sitting on the bench for all but 12 minutes in Game 1. OKC and Daigneault learned from their mistakes.

“Two things that just didn’t feel good. One, his stuff at the rim just felt too sustainable. So we had to make some corrections… And then the other thing that doesn’t feel good is playing Hart 12 minutes. It just didn’t feel good to me. But in order to get him extended past that, that’s the matchup,” said Mark Daigneault.

At the very minimum, OKC can count on Isaiah Hartenstein to be an imposing figure. He can also challenge Wembanyama at the rim, which is improbable to do with wings or smaller guards. Tonight, having the seasoned big paid off. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander noted how “He’s our backbone. He’s our bruiser”. Harteinstein, although a seven-footer, manages to make his presence felt uncomfortably. He makes it awkward, taking away the little things with his physicality.

He managed to box out Wembanyama more than a few times, preventing the Spurs from creating many second-chance opportunities. Furthermore, he has that soft floater with his left hand, which could be an effective weapon against Wemby’s rim protection. He used it a few times tonight. Having Hartenstein cover the Spurs ace also helped create some of the chaos. The Spurs recorded 21 turnovers. They couldn’t just throw the ball into Wembanyama as they did in Game 1. So essentially, Hartenstein takes away an efficient motion from San Antonio.

Daigneault is still open to using different bodies to guard Wemby. However, Hartenstein has solidified his role in this series. He’s going to be crucial as the Thunder have to win a game on the road to win this series. And shutting down Wembanyama as far as they can is going to be the key factor to attain that result.