Isaiah Hartenstein Returns to Knicks in 'Frustrating' Fashion

If Thursday night's New York Knicks game against the Philadelphia 76ers was a movie, Isaiah Hartenstein's name would've been on the poster. Alas for the metropolitan big man, he was reduced to a de facto cameo.

Hartenstein was back in the Knicks' lineup on Thursday after a two-week/three-game absence due to a sore Achilles. While Hartenstein was on a unique restriction (no set ceiling but incapable of lengthy consecutive stretches), it was perhaps surprising to see him play for only 11 minutes as the Knicks handled business to the tune of a 110-96 decision.

“It felt good. It was a little frustrating not to get to my minute requirement. So that was a little frustration,” Hartenstein said in the aftermath, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “But still day by day. It felt good. So (we've) got to keep building and hopefully next game, I hit my minute mark.”

Hartenstein told Bondy he expected to play 21 minutes on Thursday but he wound up sitting the entire second and fourth periods. His services weren't exactly required: the Knicks (34-22) led by as much as 26 in the first half while the rebounding game was well-handled: Josh Hart (12) and Precious Achuiwa (11) took advantage of Philadelphia paint missing Joel Embiid, as did Jericho Sims, who pulled in 10 in just over 18 minutes off the bench.

At that rate, it'd probably be silly to press Hartenstein into service, especially considering the firepower still packed on the Knicks' injury reports. Hartenstein himself is a sub for one of the long-term ailments as he has serviceably stepped in for downed center Mitchell Robinson over the past two months. There's no timetable for Robinson's return but he could be back before the season lets out considering the NBA denied the Knicks a disabled player exception earlier this winter.

Hartenstein compared his ailment, which previously cost him two games in January, to "tendinitis," but he doesn't appear to think it's anything worth worrying about in the long term.

“It’s something like it gets irritated, it always happens. We’re not scared of it popping,” he said. “So the Knicks do a good job, we test a lot. The strength is there. We’re not scared of it popping or anything like that.”

Achiuwa, Sims Stand Up For Knicks With Hartenstein Injured

Time will tell if Hartenstein gets an upgrade during the Knicks' next game, which lands on Saturday night against the Boston Celtics (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).