Former New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein will have to wait a while before making his regular season debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder, as the team announced Thursday that the big man suffered a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand during Tuesday’s preseason game against the Denver Nuggets and will be re-evaluated in 5-6 weeks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a hand fracture in the preseason
This is undoubtedly a massive blow for not only Hartenstein but the Thunder as a team. Oklahoma City has title aspirations this season, and they were looking to have one of the better frontcourts in the league with Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. Now, they will be without a highly impactful big man for a significant amount of time.
Before the injury, he had shown great versatility for the Thunder in the preseason. He averaged seven points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, one block, and one steal per game in three preseason games. His presence is expected to catapult a rising Thunder team to title contention, and they enter this season as one of the favorites in the Western Conference.
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Hartenstein was a highly impactful player with the Knicks
Hartenstein signed a three-year, $87 million contract with Oklahoma City this offseason after spending the previous two seasons with the Knicks. Last season was a breakout season for the seven-footer, which has led him to getting a massive pay-day in free agency.
He took over the starting job after Mitchell Robinson went down earlier in the season, and wouldn’t relinquish that job the rest of the way. In the regular season last year, Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds (career-high), 2.5 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
Hartenstein was a critical part of the Knicks’ success, and this latest injury is a massive loss for the Thunder. The hope for him is that he is able to return to the court as soon as possible.
