Isaiah Hartenstein news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein scored four points in 17 foul-plagued minutes in a 116-104 win over the Spurs.
His light workload and a new baby are the storylines around OKC's big man.
Background
Isaiah Hartenstein is a 7-foot, 28-year-old veteran center for the Oklahoma City Thunder who signed a three-year, $75 million contract this summer to stay with the team. Re-signing him was a top priority for OKC because he handles rebounding, screen setting, playmaking and rim protecting, and he averaged 9.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game last season. He is in the news after a quiet, foul-limited outing in the season opener and a family announcement the next day.
How it unfolded
- Oct 20, 2026In the Thunder's 116-104 season-opening win at San Antonio, Hartenstein had four points, three rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 17 minutes, picking up five personal fouls.
- Oct 20, 2026He played fewer minutes than Chet Holmgren, while rookie center Aday Mara scored seven points in nearly 12 minutes off the bench.
- Oct 21, 2026Hartenstein's wife, Kourtney, announced she is pregnant with their second child, a boy due in January; the couple already share a son, Elijah.
- Oct 22, 2026Reporting said Hartenstein's assessment of league-wide trends toward double-big lineups was good news for Mara.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- RotoWire Staff wrote that Hartenstein's passing and defensive versatility remain valuable, but his limited workload on Tuesday made for an underwhelming fantasy performance.
- Analysts
- Thunderous Intentions wrote that Hartenstein's double-bigs assessment is great news for Aday Mara, and the rookie's opening-night showing backed up the remark.