On Thursday, the OKC Thunder finally return to the stadium for some meaningful NBA action as they take on the Denver Nuggets in their regular season opener in the Mile High City.

The expectations for this up-and-coming Oklahoma City squad are enormous as they enter the 2024-25 season and are considered one of the top contenders to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy at year's end.

Although their status as the reigning Western Conference leaders and the fact that they have a roster full of returning stars, both emerging and breakout, in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams certainly play a role in why they are What really sets them apart from the vast majority of the league is the offseason restructuring that GM Sam Presti has made.

Unfortunately, Thunder fans will have to wait until arguably their biggest signing of the summer (both figuratively and literally) graces the rotation with his presence, as splashy free agent signing Isaiah Hartenstein is expected to sit out the first month and leave the roster will change with a fracture of the left hand.

Obviously, OKC will be without its new big man for its regular-season game against the Nuggets for this reason, and Holmgren's recent comments about Denver franchise pivot Nikola Jokic are a reminder of how much his absence will be missed.

During a post-practice media session on Tuesday, the Thunder sophomore was asked how the team prepares to defend against the likes of Jokic ahead of opening night. In response, Holmgren acknowledged the difficulty of such a task and said it would take a concerted effort to slow him down on the ground.

“It's not about me preparing, it's more about us preparing. He is a really good player and there is no protector for him. There is no one-on-one match for him. You protect him with a whole team. This is.” “The beauty of basketball is that it's a five-on-five game,” Holmgren said.

Holmgren ended his comments on his upcoming defensive assignment by remarking, “I have a few teammates that could help me with that.” However, the unfortunate reality is that one teammate in particular could have been a major factor in that department be putting on street clothes for the competition.

At 6'3″ and 220lbs, Nikola Jokic is a giant compared to the 7'1″, 220lb Thunder youngster, and his bully-ball style of play could cause serious problems for Chet.

Let's not forget that arguably the biggest flaw in Holmgren's game during his rookie season was his lack of strength and physicality on defense, and this was devastatingly evident when he played in Oklahoma City against such beefy greats as Jonas Valanciunas, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II began an unfortunate postseason run.

Because he was a bit awkward in the playoffs, the Thunder decided to spend a whopping $87 million to get the 7-foot-1, 220-pound Hartenstein to sign with the organization.

The 26-year-old is widely regarded after a career season with the New York Knicks in which he played exceptional two-way ball, dropping 8.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 blocks in 49 starts has been added to coach Mark Daigneault's roster as an ideal option, taking on the more physically demanding tasks that Holmgren is currently unable to handle.

Thursday's matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets would have been one of those cases where the addition of I-Hart could have been a big plus for the Thunder.

Unfortunately, with him sidelined for at least four to six weeks, the ballclub will have to find another way to contain the three-time MVP, who with the current structure of their depth chart (no Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, (or any player other than Holmgren and Ousmane Dieng, the bigger). than 1.90 meters) will not be an easy task.