2024-25 Thunder player grades: Isaiah Hartenstein

USA Today

2 days ago

The calendar has flipped to August, which means we've officially hit the low point of the NBA cycle. The next couple of months are the driest part of the year. Everybody has headed to vacation and awaits training camp to kick off the 2025-26 season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their NBA championship. They had a historic 68-14 regular-season campaign that eventually led to the franchise's first title with a 2025 NBA Finals Game 7 win. They'll enter next season as a favorite to be a rare repeat winner.
To reflect on their title run, Thunder Wire will conduct 2024-25 season grades for all 19 players who suited up for the squad at one point during the year. Fifth up is Isaiah Hartenstein, who enjoyed a career season as a double-double machine:
2024-25 statistics:
Advanced stats:
Significant Percentile Finishes:
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Thoughts:
Tabbed as the biggest free agent addition in Thunder history, Hartenstein lived up to the hype and then some. Recovering from a broken hand, he looked like Superman when he made his delayed debut as they desperately needed a big. The seven-footer stabilized the center spot, plagued by injuries.
When you win an NBA championship, you need some luck. One way that materializes is with several role players having career seasons simultaneously. That happened with Hartenstein as he turned into a double-double machine and enjoyed career highs across the board.
The Thunder needed some size and boards. Those were their two biggest weaknesses last season. Hartenstein single-handedly fixed both of those problems. He was the perfect changeup to playing like an old-school center. It helps that the 27-year-old also has a flair for a modern-day center. His playmaking has always gone under the radar. In OKC, he enjoyed a career-high in assists and was used as a DHO creator in the second unit.
As mentioned, Hartenstein also brought an old-school element to the Thunder's offense. He was a textbook pick-and-roll partner for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. He'd roll hard to the basket with a wide catch radius that welcomed alley-oops. His patented floater also helped him be more of a scoring threat.
While the double-big lineup seldom played in the regular season, OKC rode that in the playoffs on the way to a championship. Besides three games, the Thunder stuck with Hartenstein as the starting center and Chet Holmgren as the starting power forward in the playoffs. The move paid off despite some shakiness from time to time.
As the season progressed, Hartenstein's importance amplified. He went from the projected backup center to an important starter who helped the Thunder win at a historic rate. They had one of the best defenses ever, as the double-big lineup provided lockdown paint defense to complement their ball-hawk perimeter defenders, who forced turnovers and missed shots.
Everything you could've hoped for when the Thunder signed Hartenstein has already happened. They won a championship in his first season in OKC. He played an important role in that quest with a career campaign. After being a journeyman, he's finally penciled in his spot as a legitimate starter and one of the better centers in the NBA.
Moving Forward:
This has been a theme, but keep doing what you're doing. The Thunder will run it back with basically the same roster for their repeat hopes. It's an easy formula to understand, as they had one of the greatest seasons ever. For Hartenstein, that means repeating what he did this past season into next year.
Don't fix what's not broken. Expect Hartenstein to be a primary starter next season. The Thunder keep the fifth starting spot flexible, but it should mostly be his. He started 53 of 57 games this past year. He's helped them on the boards and gives them another playmaker that could help OKC's main stars get open looks with off-ball cuts to the basket.
The 27-year-old is in his prime, so another double-double season isn't totally out of the question. But at this point, we all know what he brings to the table. A tough, blue-collar old-school center that has some finesse in his game with his touch around the basket and backdoor passes.
Long-term, this might be Hartenstein's final season in OKC. The Thunder are due to make some tough decisions with a group of role players next offseason. They likely won't be able to bring them all back as Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren will take up around 85% of the payroll for the foreseeable future.
That means the Thunder might be forced to decline Hartenstein's hefty 2026-27 team option. Maybe they can work out a deal. The Thunder have done plenty of decline-and-signs recently. Odds are, though, that several teams will be in line to add him with a larger contract and a more significant role. That's the reality of the NBA business.
Oh well. The Thunder will cross that bridge when they get there. For next season, both parties would benefit if Hartenstein has another superb season. For OKC, that increases its odds of repeating as NBA champion. For Hartenstein, that increases his next paycheck.
Final Grade: A-plus