Isaiah Hartenstein Fondly Recalls Knicks Tenure

Isaiah Hartenstein continues to insist that it was nothing personal when it came to leaving the New York Knicks, but rather simply business.

Hartenstein has officially reintroduced himself to the basketball world, leaping into the Oklahoma City Thunder’s starting lineup after a preseason injury kept him out of the early stages of this season. A two-year Knick, Hartenstein is averaging 13.3 points and 12.2 rebounds in his first six appearances, well on pace to set new career-highs.

Despite such success–Oklahoma City (16-5) paces the Western Conference entering Thursday night play–it’s clear Hartenstein still holds a fondness for his time in New York, crediting the near-daily electric experiences at Madison Square Garden for preparing him for the thunder with the Thunder.

“It was big playing in the Mecca, playing in big games, especially the playoffs,” Hartenstein said in a profile from Marc J. Sprears of Andscape. “Me and Jalen [Brunson] came in there and kind of changed it around. That was big. Playing in the Garden was always special. Being out there was a special experience.”

Hartenstein joined the Knicks in 2022 after a breakout season with the Los Angeles Clippers, the culmination of several tours of Europe and the G League (notably winning the latter’s Finals MVP award with Houston’s affiliate in 2019). His rise in SoCal was no fluke, as Hartenstein became a vital depth star in New York.

His services were heavily relied upon last year when the Knicks needed someone to step in for the injured Mitchell Robinson and he responded to the tune of 9.4-rebound and 8.7-point averages in 49 starts. Despite the Knicks’ heartbreaking second-round playoff exit, Hartenstein led all postseason participants in total offensive rebounds until the latter stages of the NBA Finals, when he was finally surpassed by Dereck Lively.

If Hartenstein loved New York so much, why did he leave? The source himself once again pointed toward Oklahoma City’s promises of big paychecks ($87.5 million over three years as opposed to the $72.5 million over four the Knicks offered) and also hinted that he was intrigued at the prospect of helping a Thunder group that did almost everything right last season beyond the exception of its relatively anemic rebounding.

“It was hard to leave. It wasn’t easy. I loved being out there and I loved my teammates,” Hartenstein told Spears. “If I couldn’t go to a place like OKC, I don’t think I would have left. But you also have to think about it being a business at the end of the day. It wasn’t like I’ve had a whole bunch of $100 million contracts before this. I had to make sure my family was straight.

“It was a crazy experience going from a minimum deals and training camp deal with the Clippers. Going from that to this, it’s a good little journey. A lot of times you don’t get what you’re going through. But now looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing on and off the court.”

While the Knicks originally struggled to fill the Hartenstein-shaped void in their lineup, they eventually landed Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the eyes of some, Hartenstein will still stand as an intriguing hypothetical lost in the revolution of Knicks history despite Towns’ steady rise in the early going.

There’s a chance that the Knicks and Thunder could do battle in the NBA Cup’s championship finale later this month. In any event, the Knicks face their newly-installed yearly couple with Hartenstein next month, with his return for MSG slated for Jan. 10.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!