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The Oklahoma City Thunders have released an injury report on their latest recruit, Isaiah Hartenstein. The National Basketball Association's (NBA) insider Shams Charania reported on his X account, giving a brief of what happened to the German to his 2.4 million followers.
What did Shams Charania report on the matter?
According to the NBA insider Shams Charania, Hartenstein sustained a fracture in his left hand during the pre-game against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, 15th October. He also revealed that German International will be out of action for five to six weeks.
"Thunder say Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand in Tuesday’s preseason game in Denver and will be re-evaluated in five-to-six weeks," Charania reported on his X account.
This is a big blow for the Oklahoma fans as the centre gelled up well with Chet Holmgreen during their preseason games. In his first game for the Thunders against the San Antonio Spurs, the 26-year-old came off the bench scored 4 points, and collected 8 rebounds. On top of it, he even had seven assists to his name.
If what Charania has reported is true, then Isaiah Hartenstein will make a comeback around November 28th if things go well. By that time, Hartenstein would have missed 19 regular season games for the Oklahoma City Thunders.
Isaiah Hartenstein is the biggest acquisition for the Thunders in the offseason. According to Spotrac, Hartenstein signed a three-year deal for a whopping $87 million. The coach for the Thunders, Mark Diagneault will have to change his plans right before the start of the season as Hartenstein is injured.
NBA expert Tim Legler feels Isaiah Hartenstein is an upgrade to the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder is one of the best teams in the league. Their journey came to an end in the Conference Semifinals as they were defeated by the champions, Dallas Mavericks. The star player for the team, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a great season individually and finished runner-up in the MVP rankings.
Tim Legler pointed out Hartenstein's importance to the lineup. While talking to ESPN, he said, "Isaiah Hartenstein’s gonna help Chet Holmgren most. He’s guarding the biggest, strongest guy on the floor. He’s absorbing the contact on the offensive rebound. You saw Chet get thrown around a lot when he was the only big on the floor, leading to offensive rebound opportunities. Isaiah Hartenstein’s eating up all that contact."
He also revealed that the presence of Hartenstein helped Holmgreen to have more space and opened up the options for Thunders to rebound and make plays.
