Thunder’s Chet Holmgren impressed by Isaiah Hartenstein’s performance against Blazers

The Oklahoma City Thunder, like every other NBA team, has had their fair share of injury woes to start the 2024-25 season. Chet Holmgren, who will be out until at least the All-Star break with a hip fracture, is their biggest loss, and for a while, the Thunder had no choice but to go small amid the injuries to their frontcourt. But thankfully, Isaiah Hartenstein, who missed the start of the season with a hand fracture, returned just in time for OKC’s 109-99 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

Hartenstein did not start, but as he did so many times in a bench role with the New York Knicks in the past, he ended up being a game-changing presence. In 29 minutes off the bench, Hartenstein put up 13 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, and four blocks while tallying a game-high plus-minus of +16 — being everything the Thunder envisioned he’d be when they signed him to a three-year, $87 million deal this past offseason.

With the Thunder being known for their locker-room camaraderie, it was no surprise to see Holmgren hype up his frontcourt mate after his triumphant return from a 15-game absence.

“Beautiful thing to watch,” Holmgren wrote on his official account on X (formerly known as Twitter), pertaining to Hartenstein’s performance.

Indeed, it was a beautiful thing to see Hartenstein battle against the likes of Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III. The Blazers may have had the size advantage, but Hartenstein allowed the team to play bigger than they are.

There were plenty of reasons why the Thunder emerged as a trendy pick to win it all in 2025, and Hartenstein is showing just how impactful he can be. Imagining the Thunder at full strength and how even more dominant they could be, especially on defense, should terrify the rest of the NBA.

Isaiah Hartenstein restores order to Thunder frontcourt

For the past five games heading into their Wednesday night win over the Blazers, the Thunder had to go small for the entirety of games since all of the centers on the roster were on the mend. Chet Holmgren broke his hip, Isaiah Hartenstein was waiting for his fractured hand to heal, while Jaylin Williams is still dealing with a tricky hamstring injury.

Hartenstein’s return finally restores some order to the Thunder frontcourt. They have a legitimate center patrolling the paint now, which should make winning games for the 12-4 Thunder that much easier moving forward, which is saying something.