Always reliable, Isaiah Hartenstein had no problem being OKC’s second-best player. Nobody in New Orleans could stop him once he was deep inside the paint. The seven-footer was a constant lob threat. His playmaking talents were fully displayed in the bench lineups.
Hartenstein finished with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, 14 rebounds and eight assists. He also had a block and a steal. He only needed 26 minutes to put up a near triple-double line.
The Oklahoma City Thunder destroyed the New Orleans Pelicans in a 137-101 win. They’re now 7-0 and the last undefeated team left. They tied a franchise record for most wins to start a season with last year’s squad.
Even in OKC’s wildest dreams, you couldn’t have imagined Hartenstein being this productive. He’s been one of the better centers since he joined the Thunder. This game showed you a little bit of everything he can do. His dribble handoff actions helped the second unit balloon their lead.
Paired with Jaylin Williams for the first time, both frontcourt players complemented each other. They fed each other easy baskets on baseline cuts. Even though there’s been a historic lack of playing time, they showed why their overlapping skills boost each other up instead of being repetitive.
Williams finished with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, four assists and three rebounds. All of his attempts were from the outside. He also had one block and steal.
As big a sports cliche as it is, the Thunder exemplifies most coaches’ dream when they hear, ‘Next Man Up.’ It was Williams’ turn to step up with a trio of starters out. He turned in his best game of the season. The outside shot was the sharpest it’s looked all year.
It was interesting to see how the Thunder combated their size disadvantage against the Pelicans. They leaned into shooting and skill. Williams helped the ball get moving around the perimeter and eventually foiled New Orleans’ zone defense with outside makes.
How Williams and Hartenstein complemented each other was one of the more interesting storylines to follow in this blowout win. Before that, they’ve never really shared the floor. But with Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort out, it allowed Mark Daigneault to experiment.
“I think J-Will’s shooting and skill give you the option to do that. He’s also improved defensively to the point where it’s broadened the range of matchups he could take. There’s certain situations where we think that’s advantageous for us and tonight was one of them,” Daigneault said about the Williams-Hartenstein frontcourt. “It’s just another option for us. It’s another tool that we’re trying to develop at appropriate times during the season. Tonight was an appropriate time.”
Interesting answer. Let’s bookmark this for later on down the road. If the Thunder run into a talented frontcourt, they could lean on Williams-Hartenstein as a curveball. Especially in the playoffs, where every possession is magnified even more than usual.
