{"id":108171,"date":"2024-11-21T09:30:14","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T14:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=108171"},"modified":"2024-11-21T08:39:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T13:39:01","slug":"isaiah-hartenstein-is-as-good-as-advertised-for-the-thunder-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/21\/isaiah-hartenstein-is-as-good-as-advertised-for-the-thunder-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"Isaiah Hartenstein Is As Good As Advertised For The Thunder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a> finally made his Oklahoma City Thunder debut after missing 15 games with a broken left hand. The Thunder signed him last summer to a three-year, $87 million<\/a> contract with a team option for the final season. On Wednesday night, Hartenstein suited up against the Portland Trail Blazers and proved his worth.<\/p>\n

Isaiah Hartenstein Is As Good As Advertised For The Thunder In His Debut<\/h2>\n

Hartenstein\u2019s return couldn’t have come at a better time. Chet Holmgren\u2019s<\/a> hip injury<\/a> on November 10 forced Oklahoma City to rely on small-ball<\/a> lineups. Players like Ousmane Dieng<\/a>, the only option taller than 6-foot-6, rarely saw the court. Jaylin Williams<\/a>, the Thunder\u2019s other viable big man, has missed the entire season with a hamstring strain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Immediate Impact on the Court<\/h3>\n

With a statline<\/a> of 13 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, and four blocks in 29 minutes, Hartenstein showed why Oklahoma City invested in him. His presence immediately solved their rebounding struggles.<\/p>\n

Hartenstein also demonstrated his two-way impact. His passing, often overlooked, added a new dimension to the Thunder\u2019s offense. His defensive instincts helped anchor the interior, reducing the team\u2019s reliance on fouling.<\/p>\n

Through their first 15 games, OKC ranked 27th<\/a> in offensive rebounding percentage, 30th<\/a> in defensive rebounding percentage, and 26th<\/a> in opponent free-throw rate. With Hartenstein on the floor, those numbers are already improving.<\/p>\n

Fitting into the Thunder System<\/h3>\n

Adjustments will be necessary as the team adapts to Hartenstein\u2019s style of play. His elite<\/a> passing as a big man alters Oklahoma City\u2019s spacing and offensive flow. However, his ability to create extra possessions and stabilize the defense should accelerate the team\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n

The Thunder have thrived early in the season, posting an 12-4<\/a> record with the league\u2019s best defense and second-best net rating. Adding Hartenstein to that mix should make them even more formidable.<\/p>\n

Planning for Holmgren\u2019s Return<\/h3>\n

Hartenstein\u2019s biggest challenge may come when Holmgren<\/a> returns. Holmgren has excelled<\/a> as the lone big man, and adjusting to playing alongside Hartenstein could take time.<\/p>\n

The Thunder, however, can experiment with various lineups. They will try Holmgren as the sole center or a frontcourt pairing of the two. These combinations will help the team prepare for deeper postseason runs.<\/p>\n

A Frontcourt Built for Success<\/h3>\n

The Thunder\u2019s frontcourt pairing of Hartenstein and Holmgren offers long-term flexibility and value. Combined, their cap hits amount to $40.88 million<\/a> this season. Hartenstein\u2019s contract<\/a> includes a two-year base and a team option for a third year. This setup ensures the Thunder control his future while avoiding salary cap pitfalls.<\/p>\n

Holmgren, still on his rookie deal, earns $10.88 million<\/a> this season. With both players under contract, Oklahoma City remains safely below the second salary cap apron<\/a> for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

The Thunder can explore multiple options with Hartenstein in the future. They could decline his team option and renegotiate a new deal, sign him to an extension, or use his Bird Rights<\/a> to outbid any suitors in free agency.<\/p>\n

A Promising Thunder Debut for Isaiah Hartenstein<\/h3>\n

Hartenstein\u2019s debut marked the beginning of an exciting chapter for the Thunder. He solved immediate issues and showed his potential to elevate the team on both ends.<\/p>\n

If Oklahoma City<\/a> maximizes his fit alongside Holmgren, the Thunder could boast one of the league\u2019s best frontcourts for years. With smart cap management and a commitment to development, Hartenstein and Holmgren might just be the foundation of Oklahoma City\u2019s next dynasty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Isaiah Hartenstein finally made his Oklahoma City Thunder debut after missing 15 games with a broken left hand. The Thunder signed him last summer to a three-year, $87 million contract with a team option for the final season. On Wednesday night, Hartenstein suited up against the Portland Trail Blazers and proved his worth. Isaiah Hartenstein […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":108246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,22,23],"tags":[4945,49979,4292,993,4049,4975,4745,4614,2604,49628],"class_list":["post-108171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-thunder","category-trailblazers","tag-2023-2024-season","tag-2024-25-nba-season","tag-chet-holmgren","tag-isaiah-hartenstein","tag-jaylin-williams","tag-nba-contracts","tag-nba-injuries","tag-ousmane-dieng","tag-rebounding","tag-second-apron"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}