OKLAHOMA CITY — On the morning of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, with an assembly of reporters huddled around Jalen Williams at the Oklahoma City Thunder’s practice facility, Isaiah Hartenstein was nearby putting the finishing touches to his routine.
The seventh-year center was essentially the last rotation player on the floor, working on his decision-making with two player development coaches, one of whom held a foam pad to serve as resistance. Hartenstein’s job — whether it’s about hitting a screen at a proper angle, threading a pass or being active around the basket — boils down to quick thinking.
Hartenstein’s motor and on-court processor have brought him from the days of struggling to crack the Houston Rockets rotation to carving out a key role with the New York Knicks to being a starter for a 68-win team on the cusp of a championship. And in Game 5, the Thunder’s second consecutive NBA Finals win with Hartenstein back in the starting lineup, his decision-making — especially in the first half — proved vital in creating enough separation against a pesky, persistent Indiana Pacers team.
The final box score didn’t illustrate the full scope of Hartenstein’s impact: eight rebounds (six of them offensive), four assists, one block, one steal and four points in 21 minutes of action. But his overall two-way performance was the perfect encapsulation of why Thunder coach Mark Daigneault needed his presence.
“I think it’s big,” Hartenstein told The Athletic following the Thunder’s 120-109 win on Monday night. “I think I provide different things, and I can also change my role, that’s the biggest thing. I can adapt. This series has been less scoring and trying to get guys open. Just me being ego-less in that sense helps the team a lot.”
Speaking before Game 5, Daigneault, the master of hidden messages, went on a brief tangent about Indiana’s extreme usage of ball pressure after criticizing his team’s offensive process in Game 4. The approach, designed to disrupt Oklahoma City’s rhythm, utilizes multiple defenders high up the floor — with the hope of generating turnovers and chaos.
A daring approach like this certainly has its drawbacks, something Daigneault referred to as “the cost of doing business.” Daigneault knew the counter was Hartenstein’s elite screening ability. According to Bball-Index, Hartenstein ranks in the 80th percentile in screening ability and 96th percentile in screen assists per 75 possessions. Regardless of where he’s positioned on the floor, his knack for eliminating defenders is twofold; it gives guards like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams (who combined for 71 points in Game 5) ample runway to operate and creates opportunities for mismatches.
“I bet Zay is probably tired of screening for me,” Williams said. “Just over the course of the game, honestly you have to tip your hat to Indiana for continuing to press and doing that. Anytime you have a pressure release for it, it just opens up space, helps you get up the court. That’s what’s needed.”
Offensively, Hartenstein’s floater usage has decreased significantly during the playoffs, but that hasn’t deterred him from being productive in the Thunder’s half-court setting. Oklahoma City relies on Hartenstein’s playmaking outside of the traditional Gilgeous-Alexander/Williams structure, with his uncanny ability to thread bounce passes to constant cutters.
There was some merit in Daigneault’s reasoning to bring Hartenstein off the bench and start reserve guard Cason Wallace, but the former’s vision and sense of timing are underrated within the Thunder’s scheme. The most important aspect of Hartenstein’s playmaking is relative to his role — per Cleaning the Glass, his 1.06 assist-to-usage ratio is in the 90th percentile for bigs. Hartenstein appeared in just 57 games this season, which eliminated him from statistical rankings, but his 3.8 assists per game speak to a level of unselfishness that blends well around world-class talents. Three of the Thunder’s first six assists of the night were credited to him for quick-thinking plays like this:
“I think it’s just playing with the guys,” Hartenstein said. “I had the luxury starting even in Houston — gotta give a lot of respect to guys like James Harden, Chris Paul teaching me.”
At the other end of the floor, however, Hartenstein’s versatility truly shines. His rim protection — 95th percentile according to Bball-Index — is a standalone attribute. But in Oklahoma City, defense is an all-hands, collective approach. The Thunder’s system develops their bigs to not only be trusted in the restricted area, but also in their shape-shifting zone. In this possession below, Hartenstein shows, switches at the nail, sprints out to the top of a 2-3 hybrid zone and holds his own before securing the play with a defensive rebound.
According to NBA.com tracking data, Hartenstein had averaged a shade over seven minutes in first quarters in the playoffs. In Game 5, he played nearly nine. It’s just a two-minute extension. But it’s also more opportunity to be the contagious source of energy his teammates have come to appreciate and adopt.
Hartenstein does all of Oklahoma City’s dirty work. He’s an enforcer on an even-keeled group, willing to get chippy when the moment calls for it. He’ll dive on the floor for loose balls, sacrificing his body for second-chance opportunities. Thunderclouds are formed by creating a series of electrical charges in the atmosphere, and Hartenstein, a power source of his own, is a big part of the reason Oklahoma City is one game away from immortality.
(Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
