Last season, OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander called Isaiah Hartenstein "a dream big man for a marquee guy," and even publicly admitted that the center is by far the best screen-setter he's ever had the pleasure of playing with.
Now, during the early stages of year two with the organization, it seems that his other running mates are reaping the rewards of playing alongside this brick wall of a man as well.
During a recent episode of Game Theory Podcast, host Sam Vecenie discussed the impact Hartenstein's efforts have had on his teammates from an in-depth statistics standpoint, noting that guys like Ajay Mitchell, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe are averaging north of 40 points per night as a collective thanks, in large part, to the 27-year-old's screen-setting abilities.
"Hartenstein is such a monster screener. He just creates so much open space for all of their role players. They're creating off the bounce in ball screens, particularly Ajay Mitchell... The fact that he just gets these guys loose is so useful," Vecenie said.
Isaiah Hartenstein screens have been a blessing for Thunder success
Outside of his highly underrated dime-dropping skills, Hartenstein boasts the game of a traditional old-school center.
Generally speaking, he relies on his natural build to provide brute force, highly physical defensive contributions, back-to-the-basket post-ups on offense, and, of course, strong pick setting to help Oklahoma City win.
In other words, there's nothing all that standout-ish about his play.
Yet, despite the lack of flair and flavor, his not-so-flashy skill set has proven to be a major boon to this Thunder club, both during their 2025 NBA Championship run and now during these early stages of their 2025-26 defense tour.
With Hartenstein on the hardwood, OKC has been a true two-way force to be reckoned with.
Through 15 games played, the big man has this team placing in the 95 percentile in opponent points per 100 possessions (104.3) and the 93 percentile in point differential (+15.9) while he, personally, ranks fourth on the team in on/ off offensive rating (minimum 300 minutes played) at 119.5.
These marks are not being set by a deep scoring bag or a universally versatile style of play. Instead, it's accomplished thanks to Hartenstein's acceptance of his role as a nitty-gritty enforcer who's willing to take on physical punishment and do the dirty work for the betterment of his team.
This approach to the game is why he was such a vital part of their title-winning core just a season ago and why the Thunder are 14-1 through these first 15 games of the year and boast a per-game plus-minus of +15.5.