OKC Thunder's Isaiah Hartenstein is Proving His Worth

Although he came with a high price tag, Isaiah Hartenstein is more than making up for it for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Nov 20, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) celebrates a dunk between Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) and forward Toumani Camara (33) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

With an $87 million price tag over the next few seasons, Isaiah Hartenstein had a large contract to live up to after joining the Oklahoma City Thunder during the free agency period.

The 26-year-old's debut was held off due to a left hand fracture, but in the three games Hartenstein had played ahead of Oklahoma City's matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers Friday night, he's been exactly as advertised.

Hartenstein is averaging 15.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and two blocks per game on 57% shooting from the field. Of course the sample size is incredibly small, but all of the things he was expected to bring have been there: rebounding, defense and efficient scoring inside the paint.

With Hartenstein on the floor, the Thunder has only given up 92.7 points per 100 possessions this season — a historically performing defense. The likes of Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams have also made an impact on that, but it's been clear that since the center has entered the lineup, its defense as somehow made improvements.

To add to the history, the 38 rebounds that Hartenstein has grabbed are the most for a player in franchise history through three games. With Oklahoma City being massively undersized compared to most of its opponents without the service of Chet Holmgren, his size and rebounding ability have been a crucial help.

The Thunder avoided potential catastrophe if it didn't have an insurance plan behind Holmgren. Although the stretch of small ball wasn't exactly unsuccessful, it could've turned the season south if it had been forced to sustain that for longer than a few weeks. Given their respective skillsets both centers could play together in the same lineup, but Hartenstein's need on the roster might not get any more important than it is now.

Once they — and Alex Caruso, for that matter — finally play together as a trio, the Oklahoma City defense could be nearly impenetrable. The regular season might be a long game of injuries and changing rotations, but ideally, everything will come together by playoff time.

The Thunder's season has been anything but predictable so far, but if anything has held true, it's that Hartenstein's impact has already been felt in a matter of a few games. The biggest free agent contract in team history seemed like a high asking price, but he's making the most of it at the moment.

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