Sam Presti's remarks suggest Isaiah Hartenstein may be big part of Thunder offense

Wednesday, Sam Presti participated in his annual preseason press conference, talking all things relating to the OKC Thunder and answering questions from members of the media.

During the 90-minute sit-down, the storied executive provided fans and pundits with a ton of noteworthy quotes and talking points concerning Oklahoma City's upcoming 2024-25 campaign, and around 26 minutes in he dropped a specific take on the offensive approach of Mark Daigneault's squad that could directly concern one of their newest offseason additions.

Asked what his thoughts are on how the team's current construction will fair in the distribution department, Presti acknowledged that the Thunder appear to be at their best "when we're in synch, when we're on time, [and] the pass generally does that" and that "our intentions have always been great in that area."

Now, while perhaps a bit odd of a question on the surface, especially considering they dished out just 3.7 fewer assists per game last year than the top-ranked Indiana Pacers, it must be remembered that OKC opted to part ways with former lottery-selected guard, Josh Giddey this summer via the trade that netted them Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls.

In doing so, while they may have added a better fit next to star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt in Caruso from a skill-set standpoint, they simultaneously rid themselves of undoubtedly their best pure distributor in the process.

As things currently stand, the Thunder have not gone about and directly tried to address this loss with another floor general, though, perhaps indirectly, they may already have added a player who will help pick up the slack in the dime-dropping department with their splashy summer pick up, Isaiah Hartenstein.

Isaiah Hartenstein could play key role in facilitation game for Thunder

Snatched up on day two of this year's free agency festivities, the acquisition of Isaiah Hartenstein was predominantly seen as a move that would provide the Thunder with some much-needed size and physicality in their frontcourt rotation.

Following their second-round loss to the bigger and bulkier Dallas Mavericks, this was seen as the club's top offseason need, and the 7-foot, 249-pound center seems to have the ideal build to fill such a glaring weakness.

And while his specific frame coupled with his hard-nosed, rough-and-tough play style that saw him average 9.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 49 starts last season are bound to help in this particular aspect of the game, perhaps his abilities as a facilitator can also prove to be of great service to Oklahoma City during his debut run.

Earlier this summer, Hartenstein anointed himself as "one of the best passers in the NBA," which was immediately met with many scratched heads and raised eyebrows.

However, when looking at the advanced metrics and while relying on the good old fashioned eye-test, there seems to be some truth behind his comments.

Hartenstein has dropped five or more assists per 100 possessions (6.4 in 2021-22 and 5.0 in 2023-24) twice over the last three seasons and, on three separate occasions throughout his six-year career, he's posted an assist percentage of 13.5 or higher, with his best personal mark being 20.5.

Adding more fuel to the proverbial fire, while with the Knicks last year the center recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 26.6, which placed second on the team out of those who logged 1,000 or more minutes played. 

Taking things to a grander scale, this aforementioned metric ranked higher than players who are widely regarded as some of the "best passers in the NBA," such as Luka Doncic (23.9), Damian Lillard (23.2), and Cade Cunningham (23.8).

The only player on the Thunder who logged over 15 minutes a night and had as good of a success rate as Hartenstein in the assist-to-turnover category was Josh Giddey, who also finished at 26.6.

With Presti's desire to see the Thunder continue to distribute the rock at a high level, saying in his presser that "there's a difference between moving the ball and passing the ball," there may be a realistic scenario in where Isaiah Hartenstein is not only looked to as a traditional, low-post big who can clog the lane, gobble up boards, and defend the rim but, also, as a reliable table-setter who can help get his teammates open looks and, in turn, somewhat make up for the loss of Josh Giddey.