When Chet Holmgren suffered a pelvic fracture last month, many expected the Thunder to suffer a dip in form. However, that hasn’t been the case. They are 12-3 in his absence, largely due to summer acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein filling in splendidly for the sophomore star. His impactful performances helped the team reach the NBA Cup final, where they’ll take on the Bucks. On the eve of the game, Kevin Garnett asked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander about the German center’s impact and the guard had nothing but praise for his teammate.
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He claimed the team was excited about the front office acquiring Hartenstein in the offseason. SGA admitted that they were clamoring for him to return to action. The German missed the team’s first 15 games with a hand injury that he suffered in preseason.
In the five games that Holmgren and Hartenstein missed, the Thunder went 3-5. Since the latter’s season debut, they are 9-1. The guard credited German’s two-way impact as the reason for OKC’s incredible form in the lead-up to the NBA Cup final. He said,
“He’s been amazing. Obviously, we lacked a little bit of physicality in the past, and he’s been able to plug that hole immediately. And then the little things he does, IQ offensively, his passing, playmaking, his touch around the rim, his scoring. It opens the game up for guys like myself. His unselfishness as a player, he doesn’t care if he has 20 points or 0 points, as long as we win he’s happy.”
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Garnett showed love to Isaiah Hartenstein too. He shared a warm embrace with the center during the Thunder’s shootaround and told him they had a chance. He was presumably talking about OKC winning the championship.
Isaiah Hartenstein getting some love from Kevin Garnett.
“Y’all got a chance,” Garnett told him. pic.twitter.com/JZXmX7ngTG
— Joel Lorenzi (@jxlorenzi) December 16, 2024
However, that’s still miles away. The Thunder’s sole focus will be winning the NBA Cup final on Monday night. For them to hoist the trophy and the players to pocket $500,000 each, Hartenstein will have to bring his A-game.
He’ll be tasked with guarding and containing Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been in impeccable form. The Greek Freak is averaging a jaw-dropping 33.4 points on 61.8% shooting, 10.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in his last 14 games. The Bucks are 11-3 in that span.
Hartenstein won’t be on an island alone with the superstar. The Thunder are the best defensive team in the league. They have several high-IQ defenders, who have an impeccable feel for when to double and when to clog the paint. However, the German will find himself battling Antetokounmpo alone a lot. If he’s able to slow the two-time MVP, OKC will likely hoist the NBA Cup.
