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After a 118-108 win against the Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein reflected on his early years in the NBA, playing for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. In Hartenstein’s return from a five-game absence, he finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and one block against the Trail Blazers.
Amid Hartenstein’s productive campaign, a reporter asked the veteran center if he’d ever envision a year in which he’s averaging a double-double and considered an integral part of a top-tier team like the Thunder.
“You have to find your role,” Hartenstein said. “I think the first two years, especially with the Rockets, I didn’t really know my role at that point. I think I had to get a lot better on defense and a lot better at rebounding, and I worked on it a lot. Instead of just blaming the coach for not playing me, it was more about what I could do to get on the court.
“And I worked on those things. So, now defense and rebounding have gone from a weakness to a strength of mine, and that comes from working hard and being in the present moment.”
Hartenstein says playing for coach Tyronn Lue with the Clippers, where he first earned extended playing time, was pivotal in becoming the well-rounded player he is today.
“It started all with [Ty] Lue with the Clippers,” Hartenstein added. “He really gave me a chance. He really kind of let me play my game. But again, I wouldn’t have been in that position if I didn’t have to go through things with the Rockets. Even though the Rockets wasn’t the experience I thought it would be. I wouldn’t change it for anything because it helped me get to where I am today.”
In his fourth NBA season, Hartenstein averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 17.9 minutes for Lue and the Clippers in 2021-22 before spending the past two seasons with the New York Knicks.
Mark Daigneault’s revealing take on Thunder’s defense
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault says team defense led the victory in Portland on Sunday. Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein helped hold the Trail Blazers’ scoring tandem Anfernee Simons (14 points) and Jerami Grant (2 points) for a combined 16 points. Daigneault says the Thunder also held the Trail Blazers’ supporting cast in check while executing offensively.
“We stuck with it and let it win the day,” Daigneault said. “And had a good enough night defensively and a good enough night offensively to come away with a win.”
The Thunder will face the Warriors on Wednesday.
