Isaiah Hartenstein Has the Green Light, But Not a New Approach

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Isaiah Hartenstein add a new element to their team, but they have added a different look to his game as well. Still, his approach does not change.

Oct 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault talks to center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the first quarter against Houston at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

This idea that Isaiah Hartenstein will turn into a legit shooting threat from beyond the arc has been all Oklahoma City Thunder fans have been daydreaming about since the team signed him in July to a three-year $87-million dollar pact.

While the 26 year old still has upside, and everyone within the organization is saying the right things, perhaps the visions of him laucnhing triples will be nothing more than a daydream in Bricktown.

Earlier in training camp, Hartenstein raved about the confidence bench boss Mark Daigneault has shown in the seven-footers outside shooting, superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even highlighted at media day that he believes his new big man can develop his game from the outside.

On Thursday in Tulsa, Thunder on SI asked the newly acquired center when he last felt as though he had a green light in his basketball career to pull shots from distance.

"With the Clippers, T. Lue," Hartenstein reflected "My approach never varies...Just do whatever the team needs to win. I have always been a team [first] guy."

That year in LaLa Land, Hartenstein finished 68 game campaign shooting just 14-for-30 from beyond the arc for a pretty percentage of 46 percent from 3-point land, but mainly in the final frames of blowouts.

So far in the preseason, Hartenstein has shot just one 3-pointer in what amounts to two halves of basketball.

The Thunder big man adds so much as a screener, passer and play-finisher that offensively, he does not need to work in more shots from beyond the arc to be more than effective. If 30 3-point attempts was him with a green light, perhaps there is a need to pump the breaks on the pressure of Hartenstein shooting the pill more.

Even without a new found shooting stroke, Hartenstein has still been spectacular for Oklahoma City thus far and the talk of training camp from his teammates who are glad to have the added size in the fold.

I asked Isaiah Hartenstein when the last time he felt he had the green light to shoot was “with the Clippers. T. Lue.” Added “My approach never varies…just doing whatever the team needs to win.”

— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 10, 2024

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