Will Isaiah Hartenstein Shoot More Threes This Season?

Our long National Nightmare is over. Isaiah Hartenstein has (un)officially hit a three in Thunder blue. With 29.3 ticks remaining in the first half of play, Cason Wallace drove through the lane and popped a pass out to the seven-footer in the corner. Wallace's off-ball screen of his defender led to Hartenstein launching yet another 3-pointer this preseason and this time? It rattled home.

The entire Thunder bench erupted, Wallace couldn't stop smiling even during his halftime on-court interview half a minute later. "He puts the work in," the Kentucky product said of his big man when asked about that shot by Peacock sideline reporter Zora Stephenson.

It's true. You can see Hartenstein after practice or at shoot-arounds in the Thunder's practice facility, flinging triples from beyond the arc and hitting them at a large clip. But after an offseason of discussing the possibility of this being part of his game last summer, the former Knick went a lowly 0-for-19 from downtown during Oklahoma City's championship season.

So far, through two halves of preseason basketball, the biggest free agent signing in Thunder history has hoisted up four 3-pointers - and an addition foot-on-the-line mid-ranger that for a moment last week looked to be his first make in OKC.

However, do not expect triples to be part of the big man's shot diet a week from now. The preseason is the time to not only explore these underutilized parts of players' games but to simply have fun. Tonight's 1-for-2 outing from distance checked both boxes.

But as the celebration ensues on Tuesday, after the banner has been displayed and the rings handed out, it is back to business for the Thunder - business as usual.

That doesn't include four triples a night from Hartenstein. It also doesn't have to. While it is always fun for any hoop fanatic to envision players adding something so dramatically different to their games, the German big man doesn't need another pathway to be effective.

Not only does Hartenstein have his trademark floaters and pop shots, but his playmaking is off the charts, allowing him to space the floor without ever making a three.

As a playmaking hub, with the talent around him, Hartenstein is able to bend - and break - defenses by throwing guys open from the top of the key, even if he himself is left uncovered (as he often is). The Thunder, nor the center, will pass up on those playmaking chances to get higher percentage looks.

Even when you bake in end-of-shot-clock chucks, blowout bombs, and half-court heaves (which no longer count against players' percentages), Hartenstein will not launch a noticeable amount of 3-pointers. This will be a preseason storyline forgotten during the blistering cold winter.

Soon, it'll be business as usual and that's okay.