After a successful road trip, with three straight wins, the Thunder are back in Oklahoma for a two-game home stand. Their first challenge? Beating the shorthanded Sixers tonight. However, it could prove to be a difficult task as the home team will be playing without their star big man, Isaiah Hartenstein.

Unfortunately, Hartenstein will not suit up against the Philly team. Reason? Lower back spasms. Of course, that is a massive blow to the team because Isaiah is playing the best basketball of his career in OKC, averaging 11.4 points and over eleven rebounds. Even in Sunday’s game against the Bucks, he dominated with a 24-point double-double to lead his team to victory. But the Thunder will not have that firepower tonight.

Of course, OKC is being extremely cautious with Hartenstein’s health because they do not want him missing significant time. He has already been limited to playing only 47 games so far due to multiple injury woes, including a facial contusion last month and a calf strain in January. And now this back issue.

Surprisingly, Isaiah’s injury is just the tip of the iceberg.

Now that the Thunder have clinched a playoff spot and are almost certain to bag the top seed, they are giving their stars a much-needed rest. That’s why their best player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also sidelined for tonight. Even Jalen Williams and Lu Dort are out with their respective hip injuries. But beating the twelfth-seeded Sixers should not be a problem for them despite the lengthy injury report.

In Hartenstein’s absence, Chet Holmgren is likely to see a significant increase in minutes. Well, they have turned into a lethal big-man duo in less than a year. But there was once a possibility they might never have joined forces had Holmgren raised eyebrows at Isaiah’s signing.

Chet Holmgren makes shocking revelation about GM Sam Presti signing Isaiah Hartenstein

In a world of the Paul George signing and the Luka Doncic trade, no one paid much attention when Hartenstein inked a three $87 million deal with the Thunder last summer. After all, Isaiah was not a superstar like some others in the market. But it has turned out to be the most underrated move of last offseason as Hartenstein has played a major role in the team’s rise to the top. Of course, his chemistry with Chet has surprised everyone as the two seven-footers are highly productive together.

Maybe it’s because GM Sam Presti gave Holmgren a heads-up before signing Hartenstein, preparing him for the upcoming transition. In a recent interview, Chet praised Presti for his transparency, “I don’t know if I’m supposed to say this, but Sam called me and said that they were having free agency meetings with him… He doesn’t have to do that. He doesn’t owe me a call or anything. It was kind of just talking about the possibility of it happening because it was going to come out at some point.”

Moreover, Chet is happy to have a big man like Isaiah in his corner. “I feel like that part of it has been nothing but perfect as well. We’re happy we got I-Hart. We’re happy he signed here, and I think he’s going to help us out for a long time,” he said. Well, they make a perfect combination because when one is injured, the other can make up for his absence. Hopefully, Chet will do that tonight as the Thunder takes on the Sixers without Hartenstein.