Thunder Rising Star Will Benefit The Most From Isaiah Hartenstein's Return

The Oklahoma City Thunder are just a few weeks away from adding Isaiah Hartenstein back to the rotation after he suffered a hand injury against the Denver Nuggets in the preseason. No one is more excited for that than rising star Jalen Williams.

Nov 4, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) goes up for a shot over Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

A 7-1 start is nothing to sneeze out as the Oklahoma City Thunder have overall been dominant to start the 2024-25 NBA campaign and now open up a six-game home stand that features their toughest competition to date in this span.

Despite the hot start, the OKC Thunder are still limping - literally. Their entire front court is on the shelf with Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams sidelined with a hamstring and knee injury respectively and their biggest free agent signing in team history, Isaiah Hartenstein still out with a hand injury.

Hartenstein suffered his injury in Denver during the Thunder's fourth of five preseason games. At the time, the team announced the big man would be out for five-to-six weeks, currently the NBA season sits in week three. Technically the re-evaluation date was announced a week before the Thunder tipped off their regular season, meaning we are sitting at roughly week four of the window.

While this is just a re-evaluation date and not a guaranteed return, if Hartenstein can return in short order from that span, no one would benefit more than Oklahoma City's rising star Jalen Williams.

Sure, everyone will tie this signing to Chet Holmgren and assume he is the greatest beneficiary of this signing, but that just is not true. Hartenstein being added to the fold will help Holmgren, as it does the rest of the team, particularly with their depth and taking some of the pressure off of the Gonzaga big man being the lone center on the roster, but the former Knick elevates Williams' game more than anyone's.

So far this season, the Santa Clara product is averaging 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and half a block per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor, 40 percent from beyond the arc and 65 percent at the charity stripe. Far from pedestrian numbers, but certainly all that can project to improve as the season progresses and the Thunder get healthier.

Already through eight games it is clear through Mark Daigneault's rotation that the Thunder are once again handing the keys to Williams to run the non-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander minutes. While things can get messy and stagnate at times right now, Hartenstein's addition will not only clean things up, but elevant those minutes.

Looking at the seven-footers track record, the Thunder can expect plenty from Williams once he returns. With this core group of players, Oklahoma City has never employed a screen setter of Hartenstein's ability which will free up relentless drives by the Santa Clara product to rock the rim and produce easy points.

With Williams' improved passing, the pick-and-roll should be in heavy rotation for this two-man game as well as dribble hand offs and using Hartenstein in the high-post as a seven-foot table setter for the Thunder wing.

Look no further than what Hartenstein unlocked for New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson a year ago. The Villanova guard enjoyed easy buckets alongside the versitile big man as the two were among the best in the NBA in the plus-minus category when sharing the floor together.

Defensively, the Thunder have already been elite this season but adding an addition anchor on the back end can take Oklahoma City to historic levels. Though, the real advantages come on the offensive end and what it will unlock for the Thunder's rising star.

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