The Oklahoma City Thunder got a bit of an injury scare this offseason when Isaiah Hartenstein went down with an ankle injury practicing with Team Germany ahead of their FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
His absence, thankfully, seemed to be mostly precautionary. Especially when it comes to qualifying competitions, international teams are usually more than willing to play it safe with players on NBA contracts. Hartenstein just signed a three-year, $75 million extension with Oklahoma City, and his readiness for the regular season must come first over any international duties.
Germany was fine without Hartenstein. They finished this window with a 7-1 record over their qualifying games, and FIBA still had them ranked third behind Turkiye and France in their latest power rankings. Hartenstein, moreover, took the court for the Thunder in an offseason workout this week—meaning that he seems to be completely healed from whatever was bothering him during their qualifying run.
But as training camp steadily approaches, the Thunder need to hold their breath. Although they have a pair of young centers at their disposal in Thomas Sorber and Aday Mara, Hartenstein is still the life-blood of the big man position for this team. They need him at full strength over the course of the regular season, and they can't afford for another setback to impact his role.
Isaiah Hartenstein is ready to take the court for the Thunder in training camp, but there's still a baseline level of anxiety
The Thunder don't have any imminent concerns with Hartenstein, at least in terms of his ankle injury. According to CBS Sports, Hartenstein seems set to start the regular season at full health for Oklahoma City.
But Thunder fans know how tentative 'full health' can be for Hartenstein, especially during the regular season.
He played just 57 games during his first season in Oklahoma City in 2024-25 as he dealt with a fracture in his hand at the start of the campaign. He played just 47 games last season as he dealt with a soleus strain and various other small ailments over the course of the season.
The Thunder have the depth to account for his absences during the regular season, and the team is, in a way, designed to accommodate them. Chet Holmgren has more than enough defensive upside to take over extensive minutes at the five-spot when needed, and both Sorber and Mara should be able to take on bench minutes to some extent in 2026-27.
But if Oklahoma City wants to come away with their fourth-straight finish as the one-seed—let alone return to the mountaintop with another championship—they're going to need enhanced health across the roster. We saw just how important Hartenstein's physicality and rebounding presence was in the Western Conference Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs. If Hartenstein isn't playing at the top of his game, freeing Holmgren up to operate as a roaming defensive presence and in a more natural offensive position as a power forward, the structure of this roster doesn't work at its top capacity.
Right now, there doesn't seem to be any immediate concerns for Hartenstein. But any time a player suffers an offseason injury, even a minor one, there's a baseline level of anxiety surrounding their return to action.
As the Thunder enter training camp and prepare for the new season, their fingers need to be crossed for Hartenstein's continued health.
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