Why The Oklahoma City Thunder Signed Isaiah Hartenstein & Why It Works
if you were Imagining the kind of player that would be a perfect fit for the Thunder to add to its talented young core it would probably look something like a young 7 fo1 rebounding machine with versatility and skill that plays with physicality and toughness from Eugene Oregon that was drafted 43rd overall in 2017 and started his career as a 15-year-old with the artland dragons that’s oddly specific it turns out that’s exactly what they [Music] got the thund sign free agent Isaiah hartenstein a 26-year-old that was drafted by the rockets in 2017 in the second round and has made his journey to the NBA through various overseas stops then the g-league then half a season with the Nuggets backing up Nicole yic then traded to the Cavs for javil McGee then signed with the Clippers then signed with the Knicks in 2022 where he eventually really made his place as a top tier role play Down Low inside oh block by hartenstein rejects it out of bounds it’s the biggest free agent signing in OKC history not counting Paul George who was reigning technically before this Patrick Patterson was the most significant signing the Thunder had and before that it was naod christic the Thunder have only ever outright signed six off season free agents I’m not counting buyout players like Karan Butler and Derek fiser by the way that’s Patterson Mike mcalla Hashim the beat Kevin Oly nerland Noel and Anthony Morrow that goes down what a shot to close things up it’s not some big NBA secret that OKC is not a free agent destination and has never really been a roster building option for the team but that mainly goes for the top-of-the-line start level free agents they go to the big markets but also the Thunder have never really had true cap space synced up with a really good team that is attractive for free agents to join you’re saying what about the Durant Westbrook years well the cap and collective bargaining agreement in those seasons were much different and this time around with those elements plus some very strategic long-term planning the Thunder had around $35 million in cap space coming off a season where they just won 57 games and finished a top the Western Conference a stars aligning kind of moment for OKC to actually be a player in free agency oh yeah it’s all coming together and if you’ve forgotten that 35 million in cap space was generated through the mid-season deal that brought Gordon Hayward to OKC at the time that move was viewed as one to try to bolster a surging playoff team with a veteran scorer and playmaker with some postseason experience but it also had the other tentacle of being a major cap clearing deal so in a roundabout way the Thunder traded try man Davis bons and vilia meic for Isaiah hartenstein how about you you you make that deal i’ make that [Music] deal so what does the trade do for OKC well a big yes big talking point about the thunder all last season was the rebound for the first half of the season they ranked dead last in defensive rebound percentage and they never shied away from acknowledging they needed to be better at it and in the second half of the year they quietly were 10th in the NBA in defensive rebounding doing what they’ve done in so many other areas develop and improve this is good we’re learning stuff the Thunder liked their style of five out last season a lot but they also aren’t stubborn pry said this after the season we’d love to get better at everything and we’re not like trying to prove anybody Wrong by being a bad rebounding team and being good you know we’re trying to just be good and if there’s another way to do that we’re open to that we’re not we’re not resisting that and that could be an outside acquisition but you know we’re going to look at all those channels and as prey also said rebounding was the least surprising challenge the Thunder faced in their loss to the Mavericks the surprising thing was that the offense slowed down and the team missed open shots but the Thunder are trying to find the best ways to win and to do it by plugging holes that need plugged without creating others elsewhere hartenstein isn’t a magic solution that will suddenly Elevate the Thunder to the top of the rebounding list there were other root causes that led to their issues last season like giving up the most rebounds in the league to Smalls particularly crashing in from the corner along with having an elite rim protector like Chad that forced late rotations at the rim and left OKC often Exposed on the glass those are still things that as a team they need to get better at but hartenstein certainly is helpful while also being well-rounded and additive and a lot of other places [Music] too so you’re wondering will he start honestly no idea but one of the major upsides to both how the Thunder are constructed and also how Mark dealt approaches lineups is the flexibility anybody can play with anybody Chad hren started all 8 two games last season at Center and obviously was a nightmare matchup for a lot of opposing bigs as prey described at the end of the season a lot of the reason the Thunder saw the cross matching throughout the year that it was really because of the problem that Chad posed as a spacer as a roller as a Handler Chad can really do it all and with the Thunder spread offense that leans on the advantages SGA and Jaylen Williams bring as drivers Chet’s versatility and skill punctuated the attack and the th did play two bigs together some last year with Chad and Jay will playing 92 minutes total together last season and they were a 0.5 net in those minutes the offense dipped 108.2 points per 100 but the defense was Stellar 107.7 they played 14 minutes together in the playoffs and maybe most memorably down the stretch of game six against the Mavericks major small sample siiz theater stuff here but they were a plus 33 one in those 14 minutes and together in the regular season Chet and jwell produced a defensive rebound rate at 68.9 just a small bump from the team wide 68.3% but there was a significant jump on the offensive glass going from 25.3% as a team to 35.6 the Thunder ranked 28th overall in rebound rate last season at 48.4% but with Chad and Jay will together on the floor that went to 53.6 which would have ranked number one in the entire NBA ahead of the Knicks who were at 52.7 again pretty small samples here and the rebounding topic was really more about the trade-offs and upsides for turnovers and Elite defense but like prey said the Thunder would like to be great at everything without having to sacrifice other areas to get there and hartenstein is a clear solution to a lot of them he anchored the best rebounding team in the league last season and he is a ter terrific positional Defender with the ability to play all over the floor and maintains offensive versatility with his passing and decision-making I think we can play really good to together I mean defensively having two the top Rim protectors on the callt at the same time is it’s not easy so um no but I’m really excited I mean that’s that’s one thing I’m really really excited to see how that goes cuz um he’s very talented and I think with my IQ um I’ll have to do a little bit more of the dirty work so he he can chill a little bit but um no it’s really exciting I mean he’s to me he’s one of the most talented bigs in the NBA so me and him being on a court together I think is going to be um very deadly so I’m excited about that Chad will obviously still play a lot of Center and Jay will is still an important piece in the rotation the Thunder have just swapped out minutes in other places for hartenstein to make room for a more traditional big lineup and still be able to tap into the non-traditional lineups and Chet’s unicorn n at the five whenever warranted or [Music] wanted part of what made the Thunder a top five defense last season was their disruptive nature paired with Elite Rim protection they forced the most turnovers in the league by a wide margin they allowed the seventh fewest points in the paint and were number one in the league in opponent field goal percentage within 5 ft and tying those things to the rebounding as prey said after the season we can can certainly bring that up but I would like to try to do that without manipulating or bringing down what’s really driving a top five defense so hartenstein he was one of five players in the league with at least 80 Blocks and 80 steals opponent shot just 52.5% at The Rim against him eighth best in the league another great stat via Dan Devine of Yahoo sports opposing teams shot 60.6% at The Rim with hartenstein on the floor 6.4% below when he was off the floor and 60.6 would have led the entire NBA he was third in defensive box plus minus and second in defensive estimated plus minus his instincts are really high level just watch these two plays where he cat and mouses a pick and roll to Perfection controlling the ball handler while simultaneously staying connected to the rolling big who was looking for a lob that’s just top shelf defensive feel and if you recall the series against the Mavericks where Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively gave OKC some issues in the lob game that kind of stuff would have been pretty [Music] helpful on the offensive side hartenstein was a non-shooter for the Knicks actually time out so hartenstein was a non-shooter for the Knicks taking only three threes last season he did though take 37 in 2022 23 and actually hit 14 of 30 from three for the Clippers in the 2021-22 season so while that hasn’t really been a focal point of his game he is capable of attempting and even hitting some threes and that’s something maybe playing an OKC system could help unlock okay time back in the Thunder haven’t really played much with a non- shooting big in a lineup the last few seasons the last one SGA really spent any time with albeit just barely any was Derek favors three seasons ago so that will be an adjustment to learn how to play with a little less perimeter space and more of a traditional rolling big but hartenstein is not some offensive minus by any means he’s got excellent feel both as a finisher and a connector someone you can hit in the short roll and will make quick decisions to attack or spray out to the corners he’s a hub kind of player with dribble handoffs and back cuts off of him in the high post the Thunder style doesn’t call for shooting only it’s all about decisions whether to shoot drive or pass and Stein functions at a very high level maybe in all three of those areas and again there will be some adjusting to having this type of player like we saw last season with OKC having Chad as a more traditional and I’m doing major air quotes here on traditional big before last season the Thunder led the league by a major margin in guard guard scaming and still relied heavily on it last season even with Chad but hartenstein adds another component for SGA dub and others he’s a big physical body that can really screen Chad actually is a better screener than you might assume but hardenstein Shear’s brute size is going to carve Defenders off sgaa and dub to help create some downhill attacks and another offensive upside the Thunder War a top five offense last season but they weren’t a second chance Point team in the playoffs they were a minus 58 in Second Chance points against their opponents last of all the teams and in the regular season we’re 27th in the league at just 11 7.8 a game while allowing 15.3 a game which was 28th overall that’s a minus 3.5 in that category but just think about one extra putback and the Thunder go from bottom of the league to right in the middle make it two or three putbacks they’re at the top so basically hartenstein is another top tier role player that is additive to basically everything the Thunder need and already do and that’s after trading for Alex Caruso a month before a player that is also additive to everything they need and do so the Thunder entered the off season where they were the number one team in the west and the youngest team to ever do that they were top in net rating in the conference and won a playoff series also the youngest to ever do it and battled the eventual Western Conference winner in a series that finished dead even in points after six games and then they added two exceptionally highlevel role players while also resigning two of their own exceptionally high level role players in Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins and then drafted three play players nicoa topic Dylan Jones and AJ Mitchell all three that layer in more young talent to what they already do so well positional size decision- making playmaking passing scoring and those additions have all come while still maintaining the one long road ahead there hasn’t been any pushing chips in any major future risk of going for it now they added to the team without losing the Youth of it without giving up any critical assets the thunder made their young team better while still keeping the future bright that’s some good off seasoning [Music] [Music]
What’s better than running back a very similar NBA team that is fresh off a historical playoff run with minimal changes?
Running back that same team PLUS adding some of the NBA’s best role players in Alex Caruso (former Chicago Bull), and now, Isaiah Hartenstein (former New York Knick).
Let’s just check out why this signing means more than meets the eye, and how the Oklahoma City Thunder have set themselves up for yet another historic season.
0:00 The Perfect Fit For The Thunder
0:35 How The OKC Thunder Got Hartenstein
1:20 The Thunder’s History With Free Agent Signings
2:42 The Trade That Made It Possible
3:20 The Thunder’s Quest For Rebounds
5:15 Will Isaiah Hartenstein Start For The Thunder
6:05 Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams Sample
7:28 How Isaiah Hartenstein Will Play With Chet Holmgren
8:35 OKC’s Defense + Isaiah Hartenstein
10:12 Can Isaiah Hartenstein Shoot?
10:47 OKC Thunder & Traditional Bigs
12:18 OKC Thunder & 2nd Chance Points
12:49 OKC Thunder’s Offseason Spoils
