The addition of the seven-footer was a sign of relief for many Thunder fans, having been fresh off a year with 57-wins and its first playoff series win since Kevin Durant dawned the blue and orange, but struggled to haul in rebounds and labored without Chet Holmgren down low.

In his first 24 seconds of action this season, Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed a defensive rebound, ran a dribble handoff with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, created a potential hockey-like assist for an Alex Caruso 3-pointer initiated by a short-roll pass to the corner,

Concern around the Oklahoma City Thunder’s frontcourt without Chet Holmgren has been all but nullified thanks to the return and stellar play of Isaiah Hartenstein.