Isaiah Hartenstein makes Kendrick Perkins’ ‘Centers of Attention’
Leading up to the 2024-25 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in everybody's pool of championship contenders. While winning 57 games last season - and witnessing the rise of several key players - has helped OKC reach contender status, the Thunder wouldn't truly be viewed as a legit title threat had they not made a pair of sweeping acquisitions this offseason.
Oklahoma City started the summer transaction party by dealing Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso in a trade considered a big win for the Thunder. Shortly after, Sam Presti and his staff outdid themselves by nabbing hot free agent big man Isaiah Hartenstein, who achieved rising star status after a flattering 2023 campaign with the New York Knicks.
While the 30-year-old Caruso is a former NBA champion and perennially among the top defensive stalwarts, the biggest prize of OKC's offseason will be Hartenstein, who, at 26 years old, is just hitting his stride. If I-Hart builds on the momentum he found last season and integrates himself within coach Mark Daigneault's starting line, the 7-footer can climb the ladder and jump in the running for multiple awards.
Perk a believer in the I-Hart-Chet pairing
A big believer in Hartenstein's fit in Oklahoma City is Kendrick Perkins, the former NBA center turned ESPN analyst. He is on edge to see the newly acquired Thunder big man help his team transcend the league's landscape in 2024. In a recent episode of NBA Today on ESPN, Perk presented his "Centers of Attention," a list of players he expects to see the most from in the upcoming season.
"A guy that did a tremendous job for the New York Knicks last season, helping them make their postseason run," Perkins said of I-Hart. "What is this going to look like playing alongside Chet Holmgren? When it comes down to Isaiah Hartenstein, with a high basketball IQ. He is tenacious when it comes down to rebounding. He could play a drop coverage in the pick-and-roll defensively. How is that going to look for Chet? I think Chet is gonna strive great and benefit great alongside him. I got all eyes on Isaiah Hartenstein and the Oklahoma City Thunder. That's why I have them picked to be number one in the Western Conference."
Ideal fit next to Chet and Shai
I-Hart's 2024-25 campaign will make or break depending on his fit next to Chet Holmgren, who is entering Year 2 and can't afford anything barricading his development to NBA stardom.
The good thing is that the former Knicks center is largely non-ball dominant, which means he can impact the game offensively without constantly touching the ball. And even when he is on the ball, he doesn't hold it for longer than a few seconds.
That is one of the things that helped him thrive next to All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson last season. The pair formed one of the league's most reliable pick-and-roll duos, thanks to the big man's bone-crushing screens and the guard's slithery movement on every level of the court. Hartenstein can almost pull off a plug-and-play by sliding into the backup big man spot with OKC and doing what he did last season, only with a better point guard feeding him the basketball in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Isaiah's interior-focused game and Chet's growing perimeter skill set are another lens to view this potentially great frontcourt pairing. The young Holmgren can have an elite scoring season because he will be presented with more 3-point shots and opportunities to be a playmaker with the ball.
Perkins and the entire Thunder fanbase are excited to see how the newcomer Hartenstein makes the team's stars Chet and Shai better and more effective players.
Related: Will Hartenstein evolve into a dependable outside shooter in 2024?This story was originally published September 21, 2024, 2:34 AM.
