Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a minor leg injury against Philadelphia on Tuesday night, straining his left soleus (calf), per an Oklahoma City press statement.
The Thunder announced that the seven-footer will be reassessed in a week.
With Chet Holmgren having been sidelined since November 10 due to a hip fracture, Hartenstein has been serving as the 33-6 Thunder’s starting center. He’s averaging a career-best 11.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks, along with 0.9 steals per night, across his 24 healthy bouts.
In that 118-102 Thunder victory on Tuesday, Hartenstein scored nine points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 shooting from the foul line. He also had an impressive 16 boards to go along with three assists, a block, and a steal.
Hartenstein was poached in free agency following an impressive showing with New York in 2023/24. The Thunder signed him to a lucrative three-year, $87M deal, bolstering their frontcourt with a key veteran presence. Now, Oklahoma City has emerged as the class of the Western Conference, led by perennial MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and rising star forward Jalen Williams.
The Thunder have a six-game lead on the No. 2 Rockets in the West standings. A steady two-way presence in the interior, the 26-year-old Hartenstein has been a critical component to the club’s early success.
With Hartenstein and Holmgren both out for at least the next week, the 6’5″ Williams will need to step up defensively inside. He will likely jump at center for the Thunder.
Should have drafted Yves Missi
The Thunder will be fine, they’ll move Jalen Williams back to center.
Their gonna play Jaylin Williams an actual center at center, he also started the season hurt with Hartenstein which is why he didn’t play when they had no center before
I don’t see it, Jalen Williams was great at center. Jaylin Williams will get his minutes as a backup but Jalen Williams the 6’6″ SG/SF/PF/C will get the majority of minutes at the 5.
Nurkic could be had for Pennies. Give the Thunder some depth at C.
Cavs about to set a world record for offensive rebounds in a single game…