Having become the starting pivot of a Knicks team which is quite simply having its best season since 2013, Isaiah Hartenstein (2m13, 25 years old) however took time to find his place in the Great League.
Drafted in the second round by the Rockets in 2017, the American-German pivot had to contend with the G-League in Rio Grande Valley, then an inconclusive freelance stint in Denver, before finding minutes in Cleveland. And then to break through with the Clippers, two years ago, in his role as an energetic and opportunistic understudy.
“They blacklisted me for my knee”
Signed by the Knicks in the 2022 offseason, for his first big contract, at 16 million over two years, Hartenstein is still angry with the neighbors of the Nets, for having put a spoke in his wheels from the start.
“They blacklisted me for my knee. Although I have never had a knee problem in my life”reveals the Knicks pivot in the podcast “The Roommates Show” by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. “The only thing I had at the time was on my back. I knew it. I thought maybe that was why [que j’étais descendu à la Draft]. »
But behind the scenes, the damage was already done. Projected between 15th and 35th place, he ultimately had to wait until the 43rd pick, or the second round, to be selected by the Rockets.
“The night of the Draft, my agent asked me what was wrong with my knee. I didn't understand at all why he was talking to me about this. My knee was doing great. But he told me that Brooklyn had blacklisted me for my knee. And so I was probably going to go down a few places in the Draft. »
“Everything is perfectly in order”
There was no shortage of it. And the evening that was supposed to conclude the dream of a young basketball player's life turned into a nightmare.
“At the Draft, I was told that Houston wanted to talk to me. Since I was projected at 15-35 and Houston was only 43rd, I wondered why he wanted to talk to me. I found myself on a Zoom video completely disinterested, pumped up. Why am I talking to these guys? And they ended up drafting me, because I had been blacklisted. »
While he could have earned more than $4 million over his first two seasons, if he had been chosen in the Top 15, Hartenstein ultimately had to go through four franchises to earn over $5 million over his first four seasons. NBA.
Isaiah Hartenstein has since made up for it. As he himself says: “Everything went perfectly back to normal afterwards”.
And the best could even be yet to come because Hartenstein will be an unprotected free agent next summer…
| Isaiah Hartenstein | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | HOU | 28 | 8 | 48.8 | 33.3 | 78.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.9 |
| 2019-20 | HOU | 23 | 12 | 65.7 | 0.0 | 67.9 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 4.7 |
| 2020-21 * | All Teams | 46 | 12 | 55.0 | 33.3 | 64.8 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 5.1 |
| 2020-21 * | DEN | 30 | 9 | 51.3 | 0.0 | 61.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 3.5 |
| 2020-21 * | KEY | 16 | 18 | 58.2 | 33.3 | 68.6 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 8.3 |
| 2021-22 | LAKE | 68 | 18 | 62.6 | 46.7 | 68.9 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 8.3 |
| 2022-23 | NYK | 82 | 20 | 53.5 | 21.6 | 67.6 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 5.0 |
| 2023-24 | NYK | 66 | 25 | 63.5 | 33.3 | 73.4 | 3.3 | 5.1 | 8.4 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 7.4 |
| Total | 313 | 18 | 59.2 | 31.0 | 69.6 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 5.6 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 5.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
