Not every team is as lucky with offseason acquisitions as the Thunder. It comes down to fit, chemistry and specific role – and the early feedback shows Oklahoma City has come out on top Isaiah Hartenstein And Alex Caruso. Caruso isn’t playing anywhere near his best basketball and is still one of the most influential players on the roster. It was the same story for Hartenstein on Saturday in New Orleans.

To the naked eye, the big man had a magnificent appearance. He added 12 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes. He was a +14 on the floor. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault noted after the game that it wasn’t even Hartenstein’s best night, but his impact was still huge.

That’s what Oklahoma City achieved with the Hartenstein takeover. His influence will always be felt, no matter what the stat sheet looks like. And the biggest positive so far has been his influence Shai Gilgeous Alexander on the bench. He adds versatility to the team’s non-Shai units and gives them an offensive focal point to play through. This means that other players also play better – it’s a noticeable difference. Daigneault quickly noted that he also helps in every single lineup.

“He helps in every minute he plays, with or without Shai,” Daigneault said. “He is a really influential player with everything he brings to the table. He gives us a different source of attack and some variety in offense that we can play with or without Shai. I think it helps Dub (Jalen Williams), he helps Ajay Mitchellit helps this unit, I agree with you.

“And I don’t think he played his best game tonight. I mean, he definitely wasn’t at his best, but it just shows how influential he is that he can have kind of a C-plus, B-minus game and still have the impact.”

This season, Hartenstein is averaging 11.8 points, 12.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He shoots 56.9% from the floor and has played incredibly consistent basketball.

Hartenstein gave the Thunder juice when Gilgeous-Alexander took a break, but he also completely changed the starting lineup. Its effect is difficult to describe, but easy to recognize. In the long run, he will be one of the main reasons the Thunder’s ceiling is much higher this season than in years past.

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