We're halfway through September. That means the 2026-27 regular season is right around the corner. Soon, the NBA will return to being at the forefront of the sports zeitgeist with summer behind us. The nine-month marathon will see if the Oklahoma City Thunder can bring home a second NBA championship.
After a summer filled with cost-cutting moves, the Thunder remain one of the title favorites. I guess that's what happens when you have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams as your franchise pillars. Recent success backs it up, too.
To prepare for the 2026-27 season, Thunder Wire rolled out the projected depth chart for each position. Let's look at center:
Starter: Isaiah Hartenstein
By the end of the year, Hartenstein turned from a luxury to a necessity.
The Thunder figured out a way to keep him for the long run. The 28-year-old has enjoyed his best years in OKC. Both from an individual and team standpoint. He's been a double-double machine. The seven-footer gives the Thunder a nice throwback element as an old-school center who can screen and rebound. Since he joined their starting lineup, they've had their best success. So don't fix what isn't broken.
Depth: Jaylin Williams, Thomas Sorber, Aday Mara
Behind him are one of OKC's best bench pieces and a couple of projects. Williams had a career year. His outside jumper and playmaking have chiseled him into a prominent rotation piece over the years. He can both start and come off the bench pretty seamlessly. He's also improved on defense. His decision to lose weight last summer is one of the best ones he's made. And then there are Sorber and Mara. Both are OKC's recent top two draft picks. They're banking on at least one of them to work out. Sorber missed last year with a torn ACL. Mara is a 7-foot-3 giant. The plan is for one of them to be the long-term plan for a backup center. We'll see.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder center preview: Isaiah Hartenstein, bench unit
