When Isaiah Hartenstein signed a three-year deal with the OKC Thunder worth $87 million, there were mixed reviews. On the one hand, Sam Presti has made a splash by immediately fixing the team’s biggest weakness from a year ago and now has a big squad in the squad. On the other hand, there was a clamor in the basketball universe for overpayment after Hartenstein chose Oklahoma City over New York.

However, it only took ten games for the six-footer to prove he was worth every penny. It also takes a bit of context and common sense – something that isn’t high on the priority list for most of the NBA ecosystem.

Oklahoma City should have used it this summer or lost money. They also had difficulty attracting free agents, with the former Knick representing the biggest signing in club history. Sure, they had to throw a few more dollars at the 26-year-old than he would have been worth in a standings, but the alternative is to keep the money and the gap in the roster. This deal doesn’t stop the Thunder from adding color to their existing core, which is the most important factor.

It must also be taken into account that Hartenstein is a rare player. Sure, he never made an All-Star team or made any headlines, but there are only a handful of centers that fit the Thunder’s identity. Of this short list of greats, Oklahoma City has two great players in free agent Chet Holmgren.

Hartenstein isn’t just a 7-foot-2, 255-pounder who brings incredible strength to an otherwise small roster. Anyone could have done that. He is the rare player made in a lab for a team led by Mark Daigneault on both sides.

His transition skills on defense, coupled with his playmaking ability on offense, make him a Thunder player first and a quick fix-down player second. Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti summed it up best: Oklahoma City would have pursued Hartenstein even if he was only 6-foot-2.

It just fits perfectly. Special circumstances led to Hartenstein becoming the second highest paid player in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City has a 20-5 record for the second straight season and the best record in the Western Conference.

The Thunder have done this while battling adversity. After an injury in the preseason, he can’t unwrap his free agency gift until the 16th game. Game 10 saw him lose much of the regular season to Holmgren, with a few injuries to key rotation players as well.

Since Hartenstein’s return, he has proven to be the missing piece. Of course, you’ll have to close your loop for now and imagine what he looks like with a fully healthy group – but that’s easy to do with his production so far.

He is averaging 12.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.9 saves per game while shooting 58 percent from the floor.

His ability to change screens makes life easier for Oklahoma City’s top scorers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. With its ability to clean the glass, it not only fixes the size issues, but also the secondary table decor issues from a year ago.

Hartenstein is a premier rim protector, passer, rim finisher and screener who helps hold Oklahoma City’s current group together and has led him to a 9-1 record. Holmgren had exactly the same mark in the first ten games of the year.

The drop from losing Holmgren won’t be felt in the Thunder’s regular season record and the playoff cap will be raised massively once the Gonzaga product is back in action. These are the kind of extra moves needed to win a championship, and Hartenstein’s three-year, $87 million move moves Oklahoma City closer to that goal.

Song of the day: Money by Pink Floyd

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