Thunder star to be sidelined with leg injury

Against Philadelphia on Tuesday night, Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a minor leg injury, straining his left soleus, per an Oklahoma City press statement.

The Thunder reveal that the 7-footer will be reassessed in a week.

With Chet Holmgren out for much of the 2024-25 season due to a hip fracture, Hartenstein has been serving as the 33-6 Thunder’s starting center. He’s averaging a career-best 11.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 blocks, along with 0.9 steals a night, across his 24 healthy bouts.

In that 118-102 Thunder blowout on Tuesday, Hartenstein scored nine points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 shooting from the foul line. He also pulled down an impressive 16 boards, dished out three dimes, blocked one shot and swiped a steal.

Hartenstein was poached in free agency following an impressive showing with New York in 2023-24. The Thunder inked him to a lucrative three-year, $88M deal, bolstering their frontcourt with a key veteran presence. Now, Oklahoma City has emerged as perhaps the class of the Western Conference, led by perennial MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and rising star forward Jalen Williams.

A steady two-way presence in the interior, the 26-year-old Hartenstein has been a critical component to the club’s early success.

With Hartenstein and Holmgren both out for at least the next week, the 6-foot-5 Williams will need to step up defensively inside. He will likely jump at center for the Thunder.