Isaiah Hartenstein Continues to Boost OKC Thunder’s Lineups

Not every team gets as lucky as the Thunder have with offseason acquisitions. It’s all about fit, and chemistry, and specific role — and the early returns say that Oklahoma City knocked it out of the park with Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. Caruso isn’t playing anywhere near his best basketball and is still one of the most impactful players on the roster. On Saturday in New Orleans, it was the same story for Hartenstein.

To the naked eye, the big man had a terrific outing. He added 12 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes. He was a +14 on the floor. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault mentioned after the game, though, that it wasn’t even Hartenstein’s best night, but his impact was still tremendous.

That’s what Oklahoma City got with the Hartenstein acquisition. His impact will always be felt no matter what the stat sheet looks like. And the biggest positive so far has been his impact with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench. He brings versatility to the team’s non-Shai units and gives them an offensive hub to play through. It makes other players play better, too — it’s a noticeable difference. Daigneault was quick to note that he helps in every single lineup, too.

“He helps all the minutes he plays, with or without Shai,” Daigneault said. “He's a really impactful player with all the things he brings. He does give us a different source of offense and some diversity on the offensive end of the floor that we can play through with or without Shai. I think he helps Dub (Jalen Williams), he helps Ajay Mitchell, he does help that unit, I agree with you.

“And I didn't think he played his best game tonight. I mean, he definitely wasn't on his A-game, but it just shows you know how impactful he is, that he can have kind of a C-plus, B-minus type game and still have the impact of that.”

On the season, Hartenstein is averaging 11.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He’s shooting 56.9% from the floor and has played incredibly consistent basketball.

Hartenstein has given the Thunder juice when Gilgeous-Alexander takes a rest, but he has also transformed the starting lineup entirely. His impact is hard to describe, but easy to see. Down the stretch, he will be one of the main reasons why the Thunder’s ceiling is much higher this season than in years past.

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