Friday night, two of the hottest teams in the NBA will be facing off in an inter-conference bout as the OKC Thunder will be playing host to the New York Knicks for an exhilarating primetime showdown.
On top of the fact that this matchup consists of the second and third-placed teams in the league's latest power rankings, a ton of buzz has been generated for this matchup because it serves as Isaiah Hartenstein's first revenge game against his former employers.
Following a breakout campaign with the Knickerbockers last season, the big man hit the open waters of free agency this past summer and earned a lucrative three-year, $87 million deal with Oklahoma City.
In doing so, the Thunder managed to address arguably their biggest positional need at the pivot while creating a sizable, 7-foot hole within New York's depth chart.
Despite opting to jump ship, no love seems to be lost between Hartenstein and the Knicks, as the two parties have frequently gone on record to speak glowingly about the other.
However, while talking to reporters following Thursday's win over the LA Clippers, the 26-year-old (jokingly) revealed that while he's excited to see some of his old teammates, the one he's dreading to run into is veteran wing, Josh Hart.
Thunder big jokingly says he's not excited to see Josh Hart on Friday
"It's exciting. I'm more annoyed that Josh just keeps talking. He's been annoying ever since I left but it's good seeing them. Everyone except for Hart. I'm excited to see them -- everyone except for Hart," Hartenstein said with a huge smile.
The "talking" that Hartenstein has stated Hart's been doing has been consistent throughout these first few months of the 2024-25 season, with the most recent instance coming on New Year's Day when he said that he expects I-Hart will "be a little slow on his feet and slow trying to protect the rim" after securing his new payday.
Fortunately, since putting pen to paper, the big man has done a sensational job of holding down the fort for the Thunder as their primary pivot, providing elite screen-setting skills, gobbling up rebounds, swatting away shots with authority, and, perhaps most exciting, dropping dimes at a high-end level.
In 18 games played, Hartenstein is posting career-best averages all across the board, as he's posting 12.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 57.5 percent from the floor.
Now with the surging Thunder (28-5 and winners of their last 13), the big man can show his former team and teammates how much he's grown as a player since his departure and, hopefully, extend their win streak to 14 following Friday's must-watch outing.