Isaiah Hartenstein Continues To Fill His Role Perfectly

Oklahoma City’s big man fills all the roles the team needs him to. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been on a roll recently, as the team claimed another win on Saturday, defeating the Washington Wizards 114-75. This performance reminded the league of just how dominant the Thunder could be in any game.

OKC held Washington to under 20 points in every quarter except one, absolutely dominating them from beginning to end. The defensive presence from the Thunder was frightening, with the Wizards shooting 30% from the field and 16% from beyond the arc. 

Not only did OKC smother the Wizards, but the team put up a strong offensive performance of its own. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 30 points, and Aday Mara had a standout performance with 18 points and eight rebounds. These big scoring performances were huge in propelling the Thunder to this win, but some players' roles aren’t just about putting points on the board. 

The player who exemplifies this best is veteran center Isaiah Hartenstein. The big man has shown that he can put on impressive scoring performances before, but that isn’t what the Thunder rely on him for. Hartenstein only scored two points in Saturday’s bout, but he had an outstanding 14 rebounds, six assists and two steals. 

With Chet Holmgren out for an extended period of time, Hartenstein has been the big man the Thunder have leaned on to control the glass. He has taken this to heart, as he is averaging 10.1 rebounds per game, which is No. 8 in the entire NBA. 

Another thing that is such a big part of Hartenstein’s game is the number of assists he can put up in any given game. He is currently averaging 3.3 assists per game, which ranks sixth among centers in the league, meaning you can’t just collapse on Hartenstein when he gets the ball, or else he will easily find the open man. 

It would still be great if Hartenstein could have big scoring performances as the year continues, but it isn’t something that OKC will expect from him every night. However, the big man does a great job of performing where the Thunder needs him the most, and with Holmgren out, OKC will need him to continue doing so. 

Hartenstein will be counted upon continuously as the season goes on, and he continues to prove why he is such a steady shoulder to lean on.