Running the offense like a conductor, Isaiah Hartenstein had the second unit rolling. The seven-footer completely orchestrated the halfcourt offense in arguably their best stretch of the night. Being tagged with a bunch of slashers helped the depleted squad make up for a lack of top-end scoring talent.
The Oklahoma City Thunder collected a much-needed 117-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers . It's a quick morale boost as the former continues to navigate life in the Post-D.C.C. (Dub, Chet, Caso) era.
Hartenstein finished with five points on 2-of-8 shooting, 14 rebounds and four assists. He shot 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had two steals.
You have to give Hartenstein a lot of credit. This isn't what he signed up for. He left money on the table to contend for a second ring. Right now, those plans are put on pause. Instead of mentally checking out, he was the first to vocalize that the Thunder are ready to turn the page. There's still plenty of time to salvage the year. He voiced that with his words and followed up with his actions.
"I think just the energy around the team has been better. I'm not gonna lie, there's a human part to it. I think when you lose that many guys and you don't have the depth that we've had in those years past. We've lost guys before, but we've always had guys to fill in," Hartenstein said. "To be honest, I think those two games did kinda take a toll a little bit. But I think we're just ready to move on. I'm excited for what we can keep improving on. I'm excited to keep moving forward."
Against Cleveland's All-Star frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Hartenstein held his own. He dominated the glass. His size helped the Thunder run an operational offense. The playmaking was on full display, too. The once-niche part of OKC's offense has graduated to an essential part out of necessity. He even made a clutch-time floater — that shot hasn't been there for him so far this year.
Aside from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hartenstein is the only remaining Opening Night starter still suiting up. Crazy. Goes to show how quickly things can change in the NBA. After experiencing the bad side of that spectrum, they're hoping to spark the good side by discovering a new recipe for wins on the fly.
"I've been here long enough to know you can trust Shai. He's one of those guys where it doesn't matter what the circumstance is, he's going to keep going," Hartenstein said. "I think we trust him as a leader. We trust him on and off the court. Again, he came up big for us tonight. Made big shots and big plays, both offensively and defensively. Just a lot of respect."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Isaiah Hartenstein helps OKC move on from 'human part' of injuries in win over Cavaliers
