Can the OKC Thunder Seamlessly Bring Isaiah Hartenstein Back into the Rotation?

The Oklahoma City have had an incredible start to the season, and could be even better in a few weeks when one of their new additions returns to full health.

Oct 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) gestures after a play against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Paycom Center. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a historic start to their 2024-25 campaign, going 7-0 and beating each opponent by at least 10 points.

Additionally, the Thunder have allowed more than 100 points only twice in seven games, making OKC one of the league's best teams early in the season. Despite its success, Oklahoma City has been playing without key backup post players like Kenrich Williams, Jaylin Williams and most notably, Isaiah Hartenstein.

After suffering a hand injury during the preseason, Hartenstein has missed the first seven games of the regular season and will likely miss a couple more weeks before getting back onto the court. Once the former Knicks center is able to play again, however, Mark Daigneault and company will have to alter the team's rotation to find time on the court for Hartenstein.

Hartenstein should make the team better with his size, strength, rebounding prowess, defensive presence and passing ability, but the 7-footer earning more time on the floor will result in another player seeing their minutes decrease after helping the Thunder to a 7-0 start.

Ousmane DIeng is the most likely candidate to lose minutes once Hartenstein enters back into the team's rotation. Dieng is currently ninth on the team in minutes per game, averaging 13.7 minutes on the floor during Oklahoma City's first seven games.

While Dieng has been a solid rotation player for OKC this season, taking him out of the rotation in favor of Hartenstein shouldn't damage the team's chemistry and will likely be a seamless transition.

Still, inserting a player who is set to play significant minutes into the lineup of a 7-0 team could come with a few hiccups early on. The team looked strong playing together in the preseason, however, and could return to form as soon as Hartenstein is back on the floor.

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