Isaiah Hartenstein praises Isaiah Joe, compares him to splashy ex-Knicks teammate

Isaiah Hartenstein may be a recent addition to the OKC Thunder, but he's seeing some familiar traits from new teammates that he found in ones from previous stops throughout his career.

Following Thursday's training camp session, the club's newly minted $87 million man was asked to share his thoughts on how he likes playing alongside soon-to-be fifth-year two-guard, Isaiah Joe, with beat reporter Joel Lorenzi specifically asking what their "dynamic" looks like so far.

In response, Hartenstein praised the 25-year-old's scoring abilities, going as far as to say "the way he shoots is incredible" and that his cutting skills compliment his style of play rather nicely, especially considering his well-documented dime-dropping skills.

However, the most notable takeaway from the Thunder big's retort was how he drew comparisons between Joe and one of his former Knicks teammates, Donte DiVincenzo.

Thunder big compares Isaiah Joe to ex-Knicks guard, Donte DiVincenzo

"[The dynamic with Joe is] kind of similar to what it was with Donte last year. You have another guy that you can kind of play off of," Hartenstein said on his connection with Isaiah Joe.

Hartenstein and DiVencenzo served as teammates in 2023-24 as members of the New York Knicks, which, impressively enough, proved to be career-best campaigns for both, with the former dropping 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while the latter registered 15.5 points on 40.1 percent shooting from distance.

The two formed a clear connection and bond throughout their lone season as teammates, one that proved to play a major part in New York's surprise second-round playoff run. The idea of a similar dynamic being constructed between him and Joe now out in Oklahoma City is something that should excite the franchise's faithful followers.

Though by no means the same brand of baller, I-Hard has a point in suggesting there are some similarities between the games of these two shooting guards.

Both are impressive inside-out scorers with underrated levels of athleticism and can contribute significantly on the defensive end of the floor with their quick feet and sneaky hands.

Now entering his third year as a member of the Thunder and locked down to a fresh new four-year, $48 million deal with the franchise, should Joe wind up developing into a Donte DiVincenzo-type player, it would only make this OKC squad even more menacing for opposing teams to go up against moving forward.

The Arkansas product finds himself coming off a tremendously efficient season with Oklahoma City where he went on to post 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per night while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from distance.