May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) as he passes the ball in the first quarter during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC Thunder Star's Honest Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid Statement

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI
By Will Despart | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 1:44 PM ET

Superstar centers Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid have long been considered contemporaries, as two of the greatest offensive big men of all time.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, who has spent considerable time guarding both, conceded that Jokic and Embiid are in a class of their own. In a recent interview on Gilbert Arenas' podcast "Gil's Arena", Hartenstein made a case for each as the toughest player in the league to guard.

"It depends (who the toughest matchup is)," Hartenstein said. "Nikola Jokic is just hard to guard because he's so good at passing, but probably just like just straight one-on-one, I think when Joel was healthy, it's hard because you can't really be physical with him because he's good at drawing fouls, so strong and can just do it from all angles."

Embiid and Jokic have had similar success against teams featuring Hartenstein since the German-American entered the league in 2017. Embiid averages 31.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game against Harteinstein, while Jokic averages 27.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists in those games.

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

"It's probably between Joel and Jokic, but they're kind of different in those aspects," Hartenstein continued. "Joel is more into straight ones and Jokic, you can't really play team defense on him because he can pass so well. It's two different guys, but at the end of the day, those are probably the two hardest I've had to guard."

Isaiah Hartenstein’s averages last season (regular season):

11.2 points | 58.1 FG% | 10.7 rebounds | 3.8 assists | 1.1 blocks

How would you grade his performance in his first season with the Thunder? #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/pgw5lTGtFa
— SleeperThunder (@SleeperThunder) July 19, 2025

Hartenstein made a combined 73 starts for the Thunder this past season, averaging a career-high 11.2 points per game in the regular season en route to his first NBA championship.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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