Isaiah Hartenstein stays true to his game, helps spark Game 2 victory

OKC’s Isaiah Hartenstein was a constant presence around San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama in Game 2.

• Download the NBA App

OKLAHOMA CITY — A box score doesn’t reveal everything.

But as Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault perused the box score from San Antonio’s Game 1 double-overtime victory on Monday, a number gnawed at him: Isaiah Hartenstein’s minutes played.

“It doesn’t feel good playing Hart 12 minutes,” Daigneault conceded. “It just didn’t feel good to me.”

Daigneault pulled Hartenstein aside at practice on Tuesday.

“He kind of apologized, but it was more like, ‘Hey, just be ready. Your number’s going to be called more, and we’re going to try to do something different,’ ” Hartenstein explained.

Hartenstein played 27 minutes in Game 2 on Wednesday, and his offensive and defensive contributions, especially guarding Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, were crucial to the Thunder’s 122-113 victory, tying the Western Conference Finals at 1-1.

Hartenstein had 10 points, 13 rebounds, including eight offensive rebounds, three assists and spent important minutes engaged with Wembanyama, trying to make him work as hard as possible. Wembanyama still put up statistics: 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

But he also had four turnovers, part of San Antonio’s 21 turnovers that led to 27 Thunder points, and Wembanyama didn’t dominate at the rim with dunks and layups the way he did in Game 1 when he scored 26 points in the paint. He had just 10 paint points in Game 2, and the 7-foot, 267-pound Hartenstein logged the most minutes defending Wembanyama, per NBA.com’s box score data.

The Thunder want to wear down Wembanyama with their size and strength by forcing him to play heavy minutes.

“He just did a good job of being physical,” Thunder reserve Alex Caruso said of Hartenstein. “Making (Wembanyama) work all game, which I think ended up being beneficial for him on the glass late in the game. He cleaned that up offensively and defensively for us – a couple of possessions in a row that were really big. Just making it kind of trench warfare and putting his will on the line to go get the job done.”

Caruso drew the bulk of that difficult assignment in Game 1, and Wembanyama had a historic performance with 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. The Thunder could not allow that again, at least not in Game 2 and facing the possibility of a 2-0 deficit.

“He did what he does,” Daigneault said of Hartenstein. “I don’t think it was specific to Wembanyama. He played his game, and that’s a physical brand that you have to deal with around the basket. The offensive rebounding is a huge thing and there’s great gravity to that as well. I just thought again, great professionalism.”

That professionalism fits into the Thunder ethos.

“The guy is like an ultimate compete-together player,” Daigneault said. “He’s a big-time team guy. He’d rather give an assist than score a point. He understands the intricacies of the game, especially on defense. He brings great physicality on both ends of the floor, especially on the glass. He’s a great rebounder, great screensetter.

“If you listed all the skills you wanted for a modern center, like true center, he checks every box. That’s why I love him. And the other thing I love about him is I played him 12 minutes, and he doesn’t bat an eye and turns around (Wednesday) and plays a great game.”

Ahh, back to the minutes. Hartenstein wasn’t upset.

“Mark’s a great coach. I trust him and if you want to play in a team sport, if you want to play on a team like this, you really have to put your ego aside and do what’s best for the team,” Hartenstein said.

The admiration between player and coach is mutual.

“Mark does a great job of just communicating,” Hartenstein said. “That’s one of his biggest strengths. One of the biggest things an NBA coach has to know is how to work with the egos of the team. That’s something he does better than really any coach I’ve kind of been a part of. And so whatever Mark needs me to do, I’m ready to do. If it’s play five minutes, play 48 minutes, if it’s set a million screens or whatever he needs me to do.”

Hartenstein signed with the Thunder before the 2024-25 season and helped them with the championship last season. His role remains valuable as the Thunder chase a second consecutive title.

In 10 playoff games, Hartenstein’s per-36-minute averages are terrific: 13.4 points, 12.5 rebounds (5.5 on the offensive end), 3.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game, all while shooting 70% overall. He uses a nifty floater/one-handed push shot and puts arc on it. He said members of the coaching staff use shot-block sticks to help simulate getting the ball over someone like the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama.

Hartenstein, 28, bounced around different teams earlier in his career — Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Clippers and New York Knicks — and it looked like he was a good fit for a few of those teams.

Hartenstein became a free agent in the summer of 2024 and explored his options. The Thunder are particular about roster-building and what kind of player they want. They liked what Hartenstein could provide.

Hartenstein is also particular and said he wanted to play for a team that fit his style and philosophy.

“The culture – that’s one thing that when (Thunder executive vice president) Sam Presti came to Eugene, Oregon, that was the first thing he said, ‘I can’t promise you minutes. I can’t promise you your role, but I can promise you a culture,’ ” Hartenstein said. “What I saw from afar is exactly how it is, and they make it so easy for you to come to work and just focus on basketball.”

* * *

Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.