Many critics and coaches believe that the NBA league is wide open and anybody can win the title. The reigning champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, are the only ones viewed to be capable of becoming a dynasty. They could be on their way there if all of them remains committed to the goal just like Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein based on what they did together over the summer.
The 2025 summer was supposed to be a celebration for Thunder players who gifted their franchise their first ever title by beating the Indiana Pacers in a hard fought Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
They did celebrate but immediately went to work in preparation for the new season, particularly Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein who according Daigneault worked out together a lot. The fruit of their labor showed in their recent camps.
“They look really good. They came in here in great shape and in great mental condition,” the coach told reporters.
“They’re ready for the start of the season. They love basketball. They worked really hard this summer. There’s tangible improvements to their bodies and tangible improvements to their games. And the fact that they were working out together was really cool.”
Daigneault said the two decided to work out together on their own accord as they look forward to making their job easier in the next season.
Chet Holmgren will take a leap in Year 3
Holmgren was a problem in his sophomore season. Together with Hartenstein, they made Denver Nuggets star and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic’s life hard during their Western Conference semifinals encounter.
Big man all over the league will have a bigger problem as according to the coach, Holmgren has been in the lab honing his game and he feels excited about it.
“He’s got a track record of productive offseasons. What that actually looks like, I try to stay pretty open to — I don’t really predict anything,” Daigneault said.
“The guys that are efficient and impactful are the ones that tend to have the runway for more, and he’s clearly shown to be an efficient and impactful player despite only being a third-year player, so we’re excited about where that goes.”
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