Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand during an NBA preseason game and is expected to miss five to six weeks, at which time he’ll be re-evaluated, as relayed by Ryan Stiles of SI.com.
Hartenstein just happens to be left-handed, so the injury will keep him from working on his shooting hand. He signed a three-year, $87 million contract with Oklahoma City this offseason and is expected to shore up the middle after a career season with the Knicks.
In 75 regular season games (49 starts), Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks, shooting a sizzling 64.4% from the field.
Along with the Hartensteiun news, Thunder big man Jaylin Williams is dealing with a hamstring issue. Williams has been out for the entire preseason and his status for the start of the regular season is still to be determined.
OKC finished with the best record in the Western Conference last season and looks to be even better on paper, with the additions of Hartenstein and guard Alex Caruso drawing praise around the NBA.
Hartenstein has career averages of 6.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.9 blocks with the Rockets, Nuggets, Cavaliers, Clippers and Knicks. He was the 43rd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Oklahoma City lost to the eventual West champion Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs. For more on OKC, check out our season preview right here.
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