Former Knicks C Isaiah Hartenstein signing with Thunder on three-year deal

The Knicks suffered a blow on Monday when Isaiah Hartenstein signed a three-year deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley has confirmed that Hartenstein is signing a three-year, $87 million deal with OKC.

Hartenstein spent just two seasons in New York, but after coming off the bench in his first year as a Knick, he played a much bigger and more crucial role last season after Mitchell Robinson played in just 31 games due to an ankle injury that required surgery.

Needing their backup center to step up, Hartenstein was up to the task, playing a career-high 25.3 minutes per game for the Knicks.

In Robinson’s absence, the 26-year-old filled in beautifully, finishing the season with a career-high 8.3 rebounds per game as New York lost next to nothing on the glass without its usual big man known for his rebounding prowess.

Hartenstein performed well offensively, too, as his connection with Jalen Brunson proved to be a game-changer. The center averaged 7.8 points per game on 64.4 percent shooting from the field and showed off his passing ability as well, matching his career high with 2.5 assists — more than doubling Robinson’s career average of 0.9 assists a night.

The 7-foot-1, 250-pounder gave little away as a rim protector either, averaging 1.1 blocks per game compared to Robinson’s career average of 1.9 blocks per game.

Without Hartenstein, Robinson will likely resume the starting role at center after coming off the bench in his return from injury late last season due to the excellent play of Hartenstein in his stead.

Robinson is entering the third year of a four-year, $60 million deal he signed with the Knicks prior to the 2022-23 season and will have a cap hit of $14.3 million next season before it drops to $12.95 million in the final year of his contract.

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/former-knicks-c-isaiah-hartenstein-140500273.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2024-07-01 14:05:00

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