After nearly a two-month delay, the OKC Thunder finally saw their new $87 million big man grace the hardwood for meaningful action.
Isaiah Hartenstein, who had been relegated to the sidelines since the preseason after sustaining a fracture in his left hand, finally made his long-awaited regular season debut with Oklahoma City on Wednesday in a home tilt against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Following their string of consecutive losses, with the most recent being against the San Antonio Spurs where their bulkier makeup simply outmatched them, the Thunder seemingly were desperate for any semblance of help in the size department.
After all, while they may have found some success with their small-ball lineups of late, it was naturally evident that having 6-foot-5 Jalen Williams manning the primary center spot was not a recipe for finding long-term stability.
Just in the nick of time, the 7-foot, 249-pound Hartenstein was medically cleared to go as they were looking to stop their two-game losing streak and, to the delight of Thunder fans, his presence made all the difference for the club, as they pulled out a hard-fought 109-99 win over Portland to advance to 12-4 on the year.
From his rock-solid screening abilities to his sensational rim-protecting skills, the veteran's impact was felt throughout his 28 minutes of play and the home crowd at Paycom Center certainly let him feel the love.
Isaiah Hartenstein makes his Thunder debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/TChBmoaJK4
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 21, 2024
In fact, the warm reception I-Hart received was so captivating that, in his post-game presser, he couldn't help but rave about how it's now "so much easier to play my heart out" both for the faithful followers and the franchise as a whole.
Isaiah Hartenstein talks "welcoming" reception in Thunder season debut
"You're kind of just playing more for the front of your jersey. Every game I go into, you play to a certain extent for the back of your jersey, but it's really about what's on the front. I think that's kind of what makes our team special. We're all playing for what's on the front of the jersey and that means a lot," Hartenstein said.
Within literal seconds of checking into the contest during the middle part of the first period, Isaiah Hartenstein made his presence felt in a major way by pulling down a defensive rebound following a missed free throw by Dalano Banton. He would pull down a quick two more before the quarter even wrapped.
By game's end, Hartenstein registered a whopping 14 boards on the night (9 on the offensive end) while also posting 13 points, 3 assists, and 4 blocks on 50.0 percent shooting from the field and a game-high +16 plus-minus rating.
Though the big man acknowledged that it may still take some time for him to get used to having his hand free of a brace and, in turn, to get his scoring game going, based on his first game following a month-long shelving his fit within this Thunder rotation seems to be living up to offseason expectations.