Isaiah Hartenstein will have to wait to make his Oklahoma City Thunder regular-season debut.
One of the organization’s newest additions has sustained a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand, the team announced Thursday. Doctors will re-evaluate him in five-to-six weeks.
The 26-year-old suffered the injury during the second half of Tuesday’s exhibition against the Denver Nuggets. Now, the Thunder will be without him until at least the end of November.
Hartenstein signed a three-year, $87 million contract (which included a team option on the final season) with the Thunder this past summer, hoping to aid a group that could have used his size and defensive chops during a run to the second round of the playoffs in 2024. The 7-footer had established himself as one of the league’s most-physical rebounders and rim protectors as a member of the New York Knicks. Oklahoma City will have to wait to see how that translates to a new squad.
The Thunder had used Hartenstein in various roles throughout the preseason, running him alongside fellow big man Chet Holmgren to create jumbo lineups that could scare away any dribblers or cutters hoping to get to the basket. It wasn’t just the defense that made Hartenstein into a valuable option. OKC used him as a facilitator in its second units, finding creative ways to get him the basketball around the elbows and watching him slice passes to cutters and spot-up shooters in the process.
Five weeks from the date of the injury announcement is Nov. 21. If Hartenstein didn’t return until then, he would miss the Thunder’s first 16 regular-season games. If he didn’t return for six weeks, that would mean missing 18 regular-season games. Also, “re-evaluated” in five to six weeks doesn’t mean that Hartenstein is out for only five to six weeks; it just means the team will provide another update around then.
The Thunder have high hopes heading into this season after becoming the youngest team in league history to earn a No. 1 seed in 2023-24. Not only do they return most of their young core, they also add Hartenstein and defensive pest Alex Caruso, who they traded for this summer.
Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 blocks for the Knicks last season.
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