The Oklahoma City Thunder beefed up their frontcourt with the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein. His fit with Chet Holmgren provides OKC a two-headed monster at the frontcourt with elite rim protection.
The 26-year-old sounded excited about the possibilities. He talked to the media soon after his addition became official. Expect a Hartenstein-Holmgren duo to eat up a lot of shots and deter drives to the basket.
“Defensively, having two of the top rim protectors on the court at the same time is not easy,” Hartenstein said. “I’m really excited… To me, he’s one of the most talented bigs in the NBA.
“I think me and him on the court together is going to be very deadly.”
Hartenstein also said he can help soften Holmgren’s workload throughout the season. This was an underrated benefit of his addition. There were times throughout last season when it was evident the 22-year-old battled fatigue.
That shouldn’t be the case any longer. Hartenstein adds a new element the Thunder previously lacked as a traditional backup center who’s viewed as one of the best paint protectors in the league. The dropoff in play will be minimal.
“He’s very talented and I think with my IQ, I’ll have to do a little bit more of the dirty work,” Hartenstein joked. “So he can chill a little bit.”
Hartenstein should be a seamless fit with the Thunder and his pairing with Holmgren is arguably the biggest luxury of his decision to move to OKC.
Considering the Thunder’s struggles to bring in outside players, Hartenstein is easily the biggest fish Presti has caught in free agency during his time in OKC. Perhaps it’s a turn of the leaf that shows the work they’ve built over the years may finally pay off.
