After landing Isaiah Hartenstein, the Oklahoma City Thunder hope the 26-year-old has room to grow. He’s fresh off a career season with the New York Knicks where he stepped up as the starter once Mitchell Robinson went down.
The campaign landed him a massive deal with OKC. He provides them with some serious size and rebounds. After playing without a traditional backup big, the Thunder now employ arguably the best in the league.
A wrinkle to Hartenstein’s game he could add is his outside shot. He’s never truly been asked to be an outside shooter in his career. He’s totaled 87 career three-point attempts. He only took three last year.
But on the Thunder, that could be something he could add to his repertoire. It looks like he’s spent some offseason time sharpening his craft. In a recent video, Hartenstein showed off his corner 3-pointer in an Instagram story.
Isaiah Hartenstein continues to work on his outside shot:
pic.twitter.com/aFbLJd5799— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) August 16, 2024
If the 26-year-old can legitimize his outside shot and translate it to the NBA, that could be a serious weapon for OKC to utilize in its 5-out offense. He’ll provide drivers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams another kick-out option.