Mitchell Robinson injured in his left ankle for ten days, operated on and absent for two months, the starting pivot position opened up in New York. Tom Thibodeau chose to place Jericho Sims there.
The latter, since he started, averages 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15 minutes. His replacement, Isaiah Hartenstein, during the same sequence, compiled 9.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in 31 minutes.
He notably came out of a game with 17 rebounds against the Lakers. “The more he advances, the more he progresses. And he became much stronger. He's healthy and I think things are slowing down for him.”notes Tom Thibodeau at The Athletic.
Avoiding quick mistakes
So why maintain this hierarchy? Didn't Isaiah Hartenstein deserve to be a starter? “I’ve already said it: he clearly deserves more minutes than at the start of the season”replies the Knicks coach. “That’s the thing about this team: we have a lot of players who deserve more playing time.”
The pivot has the minutes, since he plays twice as much as Jericho Sims. Tom Thibodeau's logic is simple: leaving him on the bench at the start of the match means preventing him from making stupid and quick mistakes. In addition to his qualities which blend perfectly with those of the other replacements.
Even if it is a risk because we cannot say that the association of Jericho Sims with the other holders really works. When he played with Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett (62 minutes), the Knicks were outscored by 24 points. But as Isaiah Hartenstein is very good coming off the bench and he plays twice as much as his teammate, he compensates for these more difficult moments.
A positive result with this balance
Above all, in five matches with this combination, New York has a positive record of three victories for two defeats. A strong argument for the coach. “I look at the victories”assumes Tom Thibodeau.
Against the Lakers, the situation became easier for the coach. Jericho Sims picked up two quick fouls and injured his right ankle. Isaiah Hartenstein therefore played 39 minutes, including 21 in the second half.
“I always wanted to be in this situation, to fulfill this role,” he explains. “You get tired when you play 40 minutes no matter what and I have a million scratches on my body. The match was physical. But I'm ready for this. I work physically in the summer for this. »
And if Jericho Sims is still bothered by his ankle this Wednesday evening against the Nets, Isaiah Hartenstein will obviously assume the starting role.
“I didn’t want to get my playing time like that. I didn't want Robinson to get hurt, he's my friend.” he delivers. “He texts me after every game and misses me. I have to hold on and continue to prove that I can fill this role. »
| 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 | 26 | 20 | 59.6 | 33.3 | 64.7 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 6.4 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 6.1 |
| Total | 273 | 16 | 58.0 | 31.0 | 67.6 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 5.6 | |
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.
