Knicks have rebounded after loss of key piece Isaiah Hartenstein
Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein grabs a rebound next to Los Angeles Clippers guard Kobe Brown, left, during the second half of an NBA game Thursday in Oklahoma City. Credit: AP/Nate Billings
OKLAHOMA CITY — It might have been hard to picture when the Knicks signed Isaiah Hartenstein as a backup center in the summer of 2022. But as the two played out a reunion on the court Friday night, it was another free-agency decision by Hartenstein — who departed for Oklahoma City in the offseason — that remade the two teams, currently two of the NBA's best.
Given an opportunity to flourish with the Knicks last season when Mitchell Robinson's injuries opened up a starting role, Hartenstein took advantage. He then signed a three-year, $87 million contract with the Thunder, far more than the four-year, $72 million the Knicks were restricted to offering him because of the collective bargaining agreement.
Hartenstein has fit in seamlessly in Oklahoma City, inserted into the starting lineup after missing the first 15 games of the season with a left hand fracture suffered in the final preseason game. And the Knicks, in need of a center because of his departure and Robinson’s lingering injury troubles, swung the deal for Karl-Anthony Towns on the eve of training camp.
The result? Both teams entered Friday red-hot, marking only the fourth time in NBA history and the first time since Feb. 29, 2000, that two teams brought winning streaks of at least nine games into a matchup. The Thunder had won 13 straight (not including a loss in the NBA Cup final, which doesn't count in the standings) and the Knicks had won nine in a row.
“It’s been good,” Hartenstein said before the game. “I think it’s pretty similar just environment-wise to New York, lot of great guys, guys that want each other to succeed. They play the right way, so it was easy for me to come in, play my game, and it’s been going really good so far.”
The Thunder brought a Western Conference-leading 28-5 record into the game and the Knicks had the third-best mark in the Eastern Conference at 24-10, one game behind the Celtics. Since returning from injury, Hartenstein had helped the Thunder go 17-1. He was averaging 12.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, all career highs.
“He’s done a really good job,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Probably being out in the beginning may have helped him some, just so he can observe. He’s the type of guy who can watch and learn, and they’re using him a way that he’s comfortable with. Just playing out of the pocket. His game translates well to any system because he can pass, he can screen. He’s a great defensive rebounder, and that fits into any style.”
Hartenstein may have been a complementary piece with the Knicks — and he is with the Thunder, too — but his presence in the locker room and as a leader was evident from the start. That made his departure hard to take for some and an object of jokes from some.
When asked about the trade of Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Towns, Josh Hart joked earlier this season: “I feel like we should blame Isaiah Hartenstein. I feel like it’s all his fault, so thank you, Zay. Appreciate it.”
Both teams have adjusted well to the departure, which makes the reunion easier to take with an absence of malice. Towns earned the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for December.
“It was smart,” Hartenstein said of the Knicks' move to obtain Towns. “I think for both parties it was perfect. I’m in a situation here where it’s going really good. They got a great center, one of the best centers in the league. So I think for both parties it was perfect. Knowing Leon [Rose] he’ll always find something. He’s been doing a great job, so he made the right adjustment.”
“I’m happy for him, first and foremost,” Hart said. “Being able to get — someone who is, at the end of the day, he was always in the league but never in a predominant role. It was a one-year deal, a two-year deal, those kind of things. So him being able to get his money, that’s what you want for every teammate, that they’re good, the family is good.
“Got love for him, obviously. We wish we were able to keep him. I’m not sure who did the CBA where we could only offer him $72 million . . . But it was crazy because that was obviously the first domino that we couldn’t keep him, and he was gone. And then obviously Mitch being out kind of sparked having to get a center. And it definitely was a hectic summer. We definitely didn’t know what was going to happen. But now we got a good team. We’re comfortable with the team we have. And we can go out there and compete. But that was definitely the first domino that fell.”
Notes & quotes: Chris Bernard, who served in the Knicks' organization for 16 years, most of them as director of player relations, passed away suddenly at 47 years old this week. "Just sad," said Thibodeau, whose first turn in New York overlapped with Bernard's. "And obviously condolences go to his family. Thoughts and prayers are with them. I was with the Knicks when he was hired. And just an unbelievable person. A bright light every day. Great energy. Positive. Just sad. Really sad."
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.
