This past Wednesday, Isaiah Hartenstein officially made his regular season debut as a member of the OKC Thunder.
In his 29 minutes of action, the big man lived up to the hype surrounding him upon signing with the franchise in July, as he provided elite rim protection (4 blocks), sensational board-gobbling abilities (14 rebounds), and much-needed size to a frontcourt rotation ravaged by injuries.
However, perhaps the most impressive skill set he displayed during the club's 109-99 triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers was his passing game.
After anointing himself as "one of the best passers in the NBA" this offseason, Hartrenstein seemed to put his money where his mouth is in just his first regular season contest with Oklahoma City, dishing out flashy dimes on several occasions throughout the night.
Unfortunately, easily his most awe-inspiring pass fell short of registering as an assist, as recipient Dillon Jones botched a wide-open lay-in attempt after catching a behind-the-back dish from a driving I-Hart late in the third.
While the miss may not have proven to be detrimental, as the Thunder managed to pull out a double-digit win to advance to 12-4 on the year, days after the contest Jones spoke to the media following a practice session and opened up about his failed conversion.
Thunder rookie talks botching Isaiah Hartenstein's flashy assist attempt
"I couldn't believe I missed it. I've scored a lot of points in my career as a basketball player and that was probably one of the easiest lay-ups I've had in the last four years and I miss it. I just told him that I was sorry," Jones said.
While Jones has proven himself to be an intriguing rookie prospect for the Thunder throughout his several months with the ball club, going as far as to thrust himself into the Rookie of the Year conversation heading into the campaign, he admitted during his media session that any on-court mishap can be incredibly disparaging from a mental perspective.
To the forward, failing to convert after Hartenstein's pass served as one of these kind of instances.
"Plays like that for a rookie... it's so deflating," Jones said.
Fortunately, Jones revealed that Hartenstein was nothing but supportive and encouraging after the miss, even noting that the two of them joked around with one another after the big man missed an easy shot attempt himself at the rim not long after.
Considering it was the center's first lick of regular-season action with the Thunder, it makes sense that running mates such as Jones were not in synch with his timing and play style. On the night, many other players such as Ousmane Dieng were clearly unfamiliar with how to play off of Hartenstein.
Hopefully, with more games under their belts, the timing and chemistry will continue to develop and improve.
Based on his follow-up, praise-filled comments on the big man's skills, it seems Jones is quite confident the entire team will ultimately wind up getting on the same page.