OKLAHOMA CITY — Isaiah Hartenstein was right. There was another level of playmaking that he didn’t get to show in New York.
For much of his two seasons with the Knicks, the center was pigeonholed to rebounding, screening and defending — while publicly explaining he was capable of more.
So when Hartenstein left the Knicks as a free agent in 2024, he was obviously excited about the money — three years, $87 million from the Thunder — but also the opportunity to unlock his offensive potential.
Nearly three years later, Hartenstein’s an NBA champion while anchoring the league’s top defense and putting up much more diverse offensive numbers.
In his two seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau with the Knicks, he averaged just 6.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22.4 minutes.
Entering his 100th game with the Thunder on Sunday — coincidentally a 111-100 win over the Knicks at Paycom Center — Hartenstein was averaging a double-double, 10.5 points and 10.3 boards, while dishing out, most impressively, 3.8 assists in 26.6 minutes during his OKC career.
“I think [the playmaking] has always been there,” Hartenstein said before Sunday’s win. “I think before I got to the Knicks, it was one of the main things I was doing with the Clippers. But I think as an NBA player you just have to put your ego aside and kind of do what’s best for the team. I think when I was with the Knicks, I kind of had to change the role I was playing. And so, again, I’m just here to help the team whatever way I can, and I think with the Knicks it was more doing stuff differently.”
Hartenstein noted that he was able to flash his playmaking toward the end of his tenure with the Knicks.
“I think we started to do it more when we were playing more with Donte [DiVincenzo], with OG [Anunoby] at the end,” Hartenstein said. “I think you saw it more, but I think as an NBA player you have to learn how to adjust and that’s what I was doing.”
After Hartenstein bolted in free agency, the Knicks pivoted to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns, who has already appeared in two All-Star games for the Knicks. But they were missing Hartenstein’s toughness for most of last season, in particular, because Mitchell Robinson was sidelined with an ankle problem.
Sunday’s game actually represented the first time Hartenstein and Robinson — who were good friends as teammates — played against each other as members of the Thunder and Knicks, respectively, with Hartenstein collecting six points and 13 rebounds, and Robinson four rebounds and two blocks.
Robinson did not play in the matchup against OKC on March 4 because it was the second game of a back-to-back. He always sits half of a back-to-back to preserve his health for the playoffs.
The Thunder own a six-game winning streak against the Knicks after Sunday’s win.
“It’s fun. I think just in general seeing [Robinson] back healthy, see him impacting on the court is really cool,” said Hartenstein, who has dealt with injuries this season while missing 32 games.
“As a person, he’s a great person, so I think that’s the main thing. Right now I’m just more focused on getting back to where it’s supposed to get to then personal stuff.”
Sunday was also a potential NBA Finals preview. The Thunder are favorites to repeat as champions and the Knicks are one of four Eastern Conference teams — along with the Celtics, Pistons and Cavaliers — often projected as finalists.
“I think you don’t look that far ahead,” Hartenstein said. “I mean, I think in general, [the Knicks] are a great team. They have a chance to make it to the Finals, But if you look too far ahead that’s kind of when you skip steps. So again, they’re a great team, they have a chance to make it, especially since the East is pretty open.”
“Don’t skip steps” was a Thibodeau mantra. But otherwise, Hartenstein has appeared to move on … to a championship and more playmaking.
“To be honest, I haven’t really watched them that much,” Hartenstein said when asked to identity the difference in the Knicks under Mike Brown. “Two different coaches. To be honest, I’m not going to give you a half-hearted answer with that.”