Isaiah Hartenstein has become one of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s most reliable playoff pieces, and his timing could hardly be better. The Thunder open their Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, with Hartenstein doing the kind of work that often decides postseason games before the spotlight shifts elsewhere.
He is averaging 11 points per game on 71.4% shooting in the postseason, along with 8.3 rebounds per game. He also leads the playoffs in offensive rebounds per game at 4.5, a number that captures how often he extends possessions and keeps pressure on opponents after missed shots.
That mattered in the second regular-season meeting between these teams, when Oklahoma City did not bring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into the game and still beat the Lakers. Hartenstein grabbed six offensive boards in that win, a reminder that the Thunder can lean on more than one path to control a game when the shots do not come easily.
That kind of dirty work on the glass is part of what has carried Oklahoma City this far, and it is why Hartenstein matters so much as the Thunder try to keep their run toward a second straight championship alive. The Lakers are another roadblock in that path, and the series may turn on whether Oklahoma City can keep winning the extra possessions that Hartenstein creates.
For the Thunder, the next step is simple and difficult at the same time: start the series by matching Los Angeles possession for possession, then make Hartenstein’s work inside count when the game gets tight.