The Oklahoma City Thunder’s big free agent acquisition, Isaiah Hartenstein, has filled the void of Chet Holmgren’s absence, immediately becoming a key piece of their dominant regular season.
The impact of the biggest free agent signing in franchise history has still gone under the radar and goes beyond his counting stats. The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently 37-9 and sit atop the Western Conference.
Initially, the expectation was for Isaiah Hartenstein to play with and behind Chet Holmgren at the center position, but a left-hand fracture sustained in the preseason kept him out until Nov. 20. Meanwhile, Holmgren suffered a hip fracture on Nov. 10, and he’s still out of the lineup, recovering from the injury.
The duo has not appeared on the court together all season.
In dire need of front-court help, Hartenstein’s immediate task upon his Thunder debut was to fill in the void of Holmgren in the paint. Holmgren is one of the NBA’s best shot blockers and versatile bigs.
A lot easier said than done, but Hartenstein has been better than advertised, and based on his stats, along with Oklahoma City’s record, it’s pretty clear that he’s been a successful and perfect fit.
Through 26 games of action — Hartenstein is averaging 11.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game on 55% shooting from the floor. The Thunder are 23-3 when he is in the lineup.
Hartenstein fills Oklahoma City’s biggest hole — rebounding, as he is among the best in the NBA at crashing the boards. Although his sample size isn’t enough to compare to other rebounding leaders, he’s averaging 12.4 rebounds (would be tied for 5th in the NBA) and has a 42.7% rebounding percentage.
Hartenstein doesn’t have the defensive prowess of Holmgren, but his defensive intangibles and presence are enough to anchor the best defensive team in the league. They are holding down a 100.8 DRTG when he’s on the floor.
Offensively, Hartenstein does the majority of his scoring in the paint (82.7%). His floater from 8-10 feet has become a real weapon on offense for Oklahoma City.
Hartenstein’s best skill set is his playmaking, where it’s being optimized more in Oklahoma City, resulting in a career-high in assists per game (4.3) and assist percentage (19%).
Hartenstein’s playmaking from the high post adds another dimension to their offense, as he creates easy baskets off of dribble hand-offs and open back-door cutters.
Hartenstein’s screening continues to go under the radar. His screen-setting has done revelations — in terms of creating space — in the pick-and-roll, for Oklahoma City’s guards. Hartenstein is one of the best screen setters — creating 5.2 screen assists and 11.5 screen assists points (both 2nd in the NBA).
Oklahoma City has players down the roster contributing to its success, but Hartenstein stands as one of its most valuable. There could’ve been struggles without Holmgren, but the team’s offseason addition has looked better as the season progresses.
Once Hartenstein and Holmgren are both healthy at the same time, Oklahoma City is only going to look more dangerous. As outlandish as that seems, the Thunder isn’t even at its peak yet.
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