Isaiah Hartenstein fits what Knicks are looking for on second unit
Isaiah Hartenstein of the Knicks answers questions from the media during training camp at the team's practice facility in Greenburgh, N.Y., on Tuesday. Credit: Errol Anderson
The Knicks have yet to play a preseason game and already there is internet debate stirring about playing time for Obi Toppin, a continuing referendum on Julius Randle blocking opportunities for the fan favorite.
But it’s not just the Knicks' need for production from Randle, the second-team All-NBA player from the 2020-21 season, that blocks the path. Despite cries from the dissatisfied fan base, the front office didn’t move Randle in the summer. And more than that, they moved to block the path for Toppin even more when they signed Isaiah Hartenstein.
Hartenstein fits the blueprint of what coach Tom Thibodeau demands on the defensive end, ranking second in opposing field goal percentage at the rim in the NBA last season while coming off the bench for the Clippers. And offensively, he provides an element the Knicks have not had in their centers since Thibodeau arrived.
Unlike Mitchell Robinson or Nerlens Noel, Hartenstein was tasked with almost serving as the orchestrator of the second-unit offense — being a playmaker out of the high post. It’s easy to see how Hartenstein will be expected to provide the rim protection Thibodeau covets while also fitting well alongside the rest of the Knicks' second unit, including Toppin.
“I think it was a spot where I felt wanted,” Hartenstein said. “That was a big thing coming into it. Finding a place where first of all, I can bring something. I felt like I can bring something that they didn’t have to help them win. It was a good situation for me. Coming in, bringing in something different than what they had before. Mitch does great stuff, but me just bringing something different on the offensive end. And then defensively, I was really good at rim protecting last year, so just still keeping that and still bringing something different to the team to help them win."
While Thibodeau praised Toppin’s work and steady improvement, the notion of playing a different style with Randle and Toppin together might not be a necessary change of pace if Hartenstein already is providing a shift — with Toppin — on the second unit. While Thibodeau has insisted on the need for rim protection, he has a history that includes centers with a more diverse skill set than what the Knicks have had. In Chicago he had Joakim Noah, a skilled passer.
“That is a very good comp,” Thibodeau said. “Their games are different, but their vision, unselfishness, that’s special. It’s a gift. If you cut and you’re open, you’re going to get it, so guys fly all over the place. I’ll say he’s a much better shooter than Joakim . . . The spirit is very similar. People like playing with them. I think the passing makes it where everyone feels good. That part is very similar, and when you have a big that can do those type of things, it opens up the floor for everyone, creates space.”
Opportunities have increased for Hartenstein steadily over the years. The son of a German coach — and former player — he began his career overseas and then was a second-round pick of the Houston Rockets in 2017. Playing in the G League and then for four different NBA franchises, he waited for a chance but learned, too. Playing behind Nikola Jokic in Denver, he refined his passing game.
“I think that’s one thing I’ve been talking to Julius about — I can give him space in that regard,” Hartenstein said. “That might be a thing where I’m more on the outside giving him space to operate, but then also, I’ve played with so many superstars before where I know how to read off of them and give him the space he needs.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
