The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Thursday morning that newly added center Isaiah Hartenstein sustained a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand during the second half of Tuesday’s preseason game against the Denver Nuggets. Hartenstein will miss the start of the 2024-25 season and will be re-evaluated in five to six weeks.

This is a major blow to the Thunder, a team many are picking to represent the Western Conference in the 2025 NBA Finals. Hartenstein was a massive offseason addition for Oklahoma City, as they rewarded him with a three-year, $87 million contract to fortify the frontcourt alongside Chet Holmgren. Now, this team will be weaker in the frontcourt, as Holmgren and Jaylin Williams are their only two options at the center position.

In a total of 75 games with the New York Knicks last season, 49 of which he started, Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 64.4 percent from the floor. Between his efficiency in the paint and strong rebounding presence on both ends of the court, the 26-year-old figured to be a key role player in Oklahoma City to begin the season.

That is no longer the case, as Hartenstein won't return before the end of November at the earliest after suffering this hand injury.

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Without Hartenstein to begin the season, the Thunder will look similar in the frontcourt to how they did during the 2023-24 season. Unfortunately, this means that Oklahoma City won't be much improved as far as attacking the glass goes, as they ranked 27th in the league in total rebounding per game a year ago. Hartenstein, who was one of the league's best rebounding centers with the Knicks, was going to take a lot of pressure off Holmgren and the entire Thunder team due to his ability to rebound on both offense and defense.

Once Hartenstein is able to return to the court from his latest hand injury, the Thunder will reveal their 7-foot pairing in the frontcourt of him alongside Holmgren. This combo is set to cause headaches for many teams in the league due to both players' abilities to spread the floor and help facilitate Oklahoma City's offense from the perimeter.

The Thunder are set to begin the 2024-25 season on Oct. 24 in Denver.