Why is Isaiah Hartenstein not playing tonight against Denver Nuggets? Exploring Thunder center’s injury (Oct. 24)

Isaiah Hartenstein’s move to the OKC Thunder in the offseason was not the biggest signing by any means. It, however, had the potential to be the most impactful for a team that was on the verge of competing for titles.

However, a non-displaced fracture in his left hand will keep the big man out of the rotation for at least five to six weeks, including the team’s season opener against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

Hartenstein injured his hand during the second half of a preseason game against the Nuggets on Oct. 15. He finished the game with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and a block in 21:01 minutes.

The Thunder signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million deal in the offseason. The former New York Knicks center was expected to be a big part of the OKC setup as his inclusion in the lineup would have allowed Chet Holmgren to move to the power forward position.

With Hartenstein now out for an extended time, OKC coach Mark Daigneault has no choice but to start Holmgren at center. Hartenstein had a breakout 2023-24 season with New York, as he averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He was one of the best role players, which warranted the hefty price that the Thunder paid for him.

Chet Holmgren spoke about Isaiah Hartenstein’s injury

Chet Holmgren missed his first year in the NBA with a Lisfranc injury in his foot. So, he knows a thing or two about missing games for a new team. So, when Isaiah Hartenstein went down with his injury, Holmgren spoke about the free agent signing’s importance and how it impacted the team. Holmgren said, via OKC Thunder Wire:

“Selfishly, I hate to see him injured. He's a great player and he helps us in a lot of areas of the floor. As somebody who's been through injuries myself, definitely feel for him because that's not fun. I know he was excited to get things rolling. We were having a lot of fun playing out there.

"When he gets back, that should resume how it was. He's a great player and a couple of weeks with a broken hand isn't going to change that."

Holmgren also spoke about the uniqueness that Isaiah Hartenstein brought to the team:

“He's his own player. Nobody here does exactly what he does. There's aspects in what we do in large part because he's here. We're not throwing that all out the window and trying to pick it up once he gets back.”