NBANBAOklahoma City rarely dabbles in free agency but made an exception for a 7-foot Swiss Army knife. Now he appears to be the deciding factor between an early postseason exit and a Finals run.

It’s too simplistic to say that the Oklahoma City Thunder signed Isaiah Hartenstein because of the Dallas Mavericks. They had many reasons for offering the free agent center a three-year, $87 million contract. At just 26 years old, Hartenstein is in the middle of his best years. He fits perfectly into the Thunder’s cap sheet without forcing them to dip into their pool of draft picks to add talent. And he has shown continued improvement since entering the G League as a second-round pick in 2017, evolving from a lightly used backup to a strong minute starter who holds his own against Joel Embiid in a playoff series.

But even if they weren’t primary Reason, the Mavericks definitely were A Reason why the Thunder targeted Hartenstein in the summer. They dwarfed OKC in their second-round triumph last spring, grabbing 12 offensive rebounds per game and creating key second-chance opportunities. There are few experiences more disheartening on a basketball court than being stopped and watching helplessly as the other team plays volleyball on the boards and steals an easy score.

So the Thunder set their sights on the 7-foot-tall Hartenstein, fresh off an inspiring playoff run with the Knicks, and agreed to terms on the first day of free agency. Of the players who joined new teams in the offseason, only Paul George signed for more money than Hartenstein – quite an increase for a player who played on five teams in his first five seasons and only signed a two-year, $16 million contract It was the first time he had a free hand.

A broken hand forced Hartenstein to miss the Thunder’s first meeting with the Mavs this season, and Dallas doubled its winning streak, grabbing 18 offensive boards in a win with 6-foot-6 Jalen Williams as OKC’s starting center.

But the Thunder would seek revenge. In an NBA Cup quarterfinal duel on Tuesday, Oklahoma City finally got a chance to see if the proposed antidote would solve its biggest problem. And with a 118-104 victory that ended the Mavericks’ seven-game winning streak and sent the Thunder to the Cup semifinals in Las Vegas, Hartenstein seemed to be just the missing piece the Western Conference favorites needed.

First things first: Hartenstein is doing his job of protecting the boards. On Tuesday, the Mavericks collected just seven offensive rebounds. On the other hand, Hartenstein had five offensive rebounds aloneas part of a 10-point, 13-rebound performance.

According to Cleaning the Glass, the Thunder still rank just 28th in defensive rebound rate this season – just one spot higher than last year. But that’s a misleading number because the Thunder have spent so much of the season without a true big man due to injuries to Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, who combined to play just 46 percent of OKC’s minutes.

With Hartenstein on the court, OKC is now an above-average defensive rebounding team, ranking in the 67th percentile according to CtG. Individually, Hartenstein scored double-digit rebounds in eight of nine games this season; The only exception was a blowout win over the Jazz in which he had to sit out the entire fourth quarter. It’s still early, but in a small sample, Hartenstein has reached a new level as a rebounder.

The difference against Dallas on Tuesday compared to last postseason was so obvious that Hartenstein was the first player Charles Barkley praised Within the NBAboth at halftime and after the game – although Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points, more than Luka Doncic (16) and Kyrie Irving (17) managed combined.

Hartenstein deserves the praise; OKC has been nothing short of dominant since its debut three weeks ago. That’s partly because he adds offensive elements that the Thunder didn’t previously possess. According to CtG, OKC ranked 27th in offensive rebound rate last season, but is in the 71st percentile this season with Hartenstein on the floor.

Hartenstein is also a gifted passer who makes sure his teammates look good: he provides solid screens, takes advantage of handoff opportunities and facilitates from the free throw line. He is one of six players this season to average at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per 36 minutes, and the other five are among the league’s best centers:

Players averaging 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per 36 minutes

player	Points/36	rebounds/36	Templates/36
Giannis Antetokounmpo	33.6	11.7	6.2
Nikola Jokic	30.9	13.0	9.7
Alperen Sengun	21.5	12.3	6.2
Domantas Sabonis	20.9	12.8	6.2
Bam Adebayo	16.6	10.4	5.4
Isaiah Hartenstein	14.0	15.5	5.3

In other words, Hartenstein would be a valuable addition even if he wasn’t an elite defender – but that is his greatest strength! According to CtG, Hartenstein is one of the top five defenders in the game, according to leading advanced stats EPM and DARKO, and his teams have been stingier defensively with him on the court in every season of his career, according to CtG.

Hartenstein is an elite rim protector and exceptionally mobile for a 7-footer. In Tuesday’s game, the Thunder hit a Doncic pick-and-roll several times, and Hartenstein managed to slide to midfield to catch the Dallas superstar and then retreat to the rim in time to catch the shot to fend off another opponent.

To be fair, the Thunder would have a tremendous defense even if Hartenstein wasn’t there. Their collective feel for the ball is exceptional and they force an incredible amount of turnovers every night. OKC’s 12.2 steals per game are the third-most of any team in NBA history and the most since the 1993-94 SuperSonics

But Hartenstein is so important because he simultaneously strengthens the Thunder’s greatest strength and addresses its most glaring weakness – both now and in the postseason. According to CtG, Houston leads the league in offensive rebound rate, and Memphis is fifth, closely followed by Golden State, Denver and Dallas. The Thunder will most likely have to survive a few playoff matchups against teams that crush the boards if they want to reach the Finals.

With Hartenstein, the Thunder are well equipped to maintain their strong defensive identity regardless of the opponent, without any cracks in the foundation. Plus, more than a quarter of the way through the season, they’re still on pace to set the 21st century record for best defensive rating compared to the entire league.

To achieve this enviable position, general manager Sam Presti had to step out of his comfort zone. He has previously acquired all of his best players via the draft or trades. Over the summer The Oklahoman The five biggest free agent signings in Thunder history include Patrick Patterson, Caron Butler after the peak (via buyout), Derek Fisher after the peak (via buyout), Mike Muscala and Nerlens Noel. It’s such a dismal list that Hartenstein has catapulted to the top just nine games into his Thunder tenure.

Looking ahead, Hartenstein will be starting as the Thunder’s primary center for a while, as Holmgren will be out for at least another month with his pelvic fracture and the first-place Thunder won’t be in a hurry to get him back on the field. But once Holmgren returns, coach Mark Daigneault will have to figure out how best to utilize his two talented bigs.

Daigneault loves to experiment with lineups and juggle his rotations, so he could very well use Hartenstein in different configurations depending on the match. Holmgren and Hartenstein could play together in a double-big formation, or Hartenstein could stabilize substitutes and exploit opposing reserves; He was effective with the Knicks last season, switching between starter and reserve. At the very least, Daigneault will be assured of having a dominant, tall center back to bolster his defense for all 48 minutes.

And that consistency is important because while the Thunder are very good in all situations, they’re really great when they play a true center. The Harlem Globetrotters would be thrilled to beat the Washington Generals as thoroughly as the Thunder routed their opponents this season with Holmgren and Hartenstein:

Thunder centers

center	Possessions	Net valuation
Chet Holmgren	565	+15.4
Isaiah Hartenstein	550	+14.6
Jalen Williams	288	+10.5
All other	876	+8.9

The result is a team that has a chance to overtake its emerging rival in Dallas and any other team in the West and reach the Finals. Oklahoma City learned from its playoff problems last spring and found the perfect solution in free agency.