Isaiah Hartenstein is finally back on the court. The celebrated free agent from the Thunder (12-4) made his competitive debut in the OKC jersey exactly five weeks after suffering a fracture in his left hand. The 26-year-old was able to convince straight away and put up a double-double of 13 points and 14 boards in the 109:99 win against the Trail Blazers (6-9), as well as 3 blocks and 3 assists each. Never before had a player grabbed so many rebounds in his debut for Oklahoma City.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Hartenstein after the strong performance, surrounded by his teammates, before he was allowed to bark into the microphone for the first time in good Thunder tradition. MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also celebrated the big man’s “outstanding” debut: “He changed the game. Everything is so much easier with him on the court.”
Hartenstein’s influence on the Thunder, who were plagued by bad luck with injuries, went far beyond the bare numbers during their comeback. Although he “still felt a little rusty,” the center showed exactly the energy and presence under the baskets that OKC had hoped for with his signing – and for which they had lured Hartenstein away from New York with a mega contract. Hartenstein is expected to earn $87 million in Oklahoma City in three years.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was also full of praise for Hartenstein: “He was great. He came with great energy and brought life into our game.” Daigneault couldn’t see any of the rust that Hartenstein mentioned: “He’s kept himself in good shape. Every time I took him down, he looked at me as if to ask, ‘Why are you doing that? I’m fine!’ .” It was logical for the coach that Hartenstein was allowed to stand on the floor until the final buzzer: “He deserved it, obviously he had a pretty strong influence on the game.”
