The Oklahoma City Thunder have been dealing with injuries all season, but they need to get one of their most reliable players more involved.
Over the first couple of weeks of the season, the Thunder have been battling through adversity on the injury report. On Wednesday night, the Thunder’s injuries finally became too much, leading to their first loss of the season, a 121-119 defeat in Portland.
Although Oklahoma City has had numerous issues with health this season, Isaiah Hartenstein has been on the floor for every contest. As the Thunder’s biggest free agent singing ever in 2024, Hartenstein has consistently delivered as Oklahoma City’s starting big man, with or without Chet Holmgren alongside him.
In Portland on Wednesday night, Hartenstein was again a key piece for the Thunder and was critical to the team’s hopes of pulling off their ninth-straight win. Of course, the Thunder ultimately fell short, and it might have been in part because of Hartenstein’s lack of involvement.
With Oklahoma City being so shorthanded on the wing and at guard, there were plenty of players who were simply gassed by the end of the matchup, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was wearing down well before clutch time. In situations like that, the Thunder might be wise to allow Hartenstein to run the offense a bit more through the high post.
While he only finished with three assists against the Blazers, there were still a fair share of opportunities for his teammates to cash in some more. Although his ability to get his teammates involved is unquestioned, he needs to get some more love from his teammates as a scorer.
Hartenstein might not be the most versatile scorer, but his floater and touch around the basket combined with his ability to throw down thunderous lobs and dunks makes him a well-rounded threat offensively. Of course, he isn’t typically able to simple create those opportunities for himself.
Running more pick-and-roll with Hartenstein or simply finding him more often in the dunker spot could help the Thunder create better chances inside for the big man or others. In Portland, Hartenstein put up only four shots. After averaging 8.4 shots a game last season, Hartenstein is down to 7.1 this season and has taken seven or fewer shots in six of the Thunder’s first nine games.
Getting more touches for Hartenstein might not be easy, and he can clearly still impact a game without scoring. However, on nights like Wednesday, when the Thunder are shorthanded, Mark Daigneault and company must find ways to get him more involved offensively.
