Isaiah Hartenstein Can No Longer Play For The New York Knicks

On Monday night, the New York Knicks lost a 107-111 heartbreaker to the Milwaukee Bucks. It was the Knicks chance to prove they belong in discussions about the best teams in the Eastern Conference and they took an L.

But there was one play—and one player specifically—that set the tone for the Knicks. Let’s talk about Isaiah Hartenstein.

This play last night sums up Isaiah Hartenstein for Knicks fans.

But Hartenstein ran the Clippers’ 2nd unit last year. Lots of DHO. He was a connective playmaker. Thibodeau has him do none of that in New York:

AST%
w/ Clippers—20.5%
w/ Knicks—5.5%

Knicks gotta figure it out. pic.twitter.com/RcJDY7Mlk2

— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 10, 2023

Isaiah fucking Hartenstein.

Disgusting.

With the Knicks up 76-62 with a little under 2-minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Hartenstein missed an open layup then grabbed the offensive rebound and missed an open layup and then grabbed another offensive rebound and missed an open layup.

Hartenstein then fouled Giannis on the other side of the court and gave up two free throws. Just a nasty two-minute sequence from a backup center that I was told in the offseason was such a great shooter and playmaker and sneaky great signing by New York.

Hartenstein stinks. Let’s look at his final numbers from Monday night:

10 minutes
0 points
0-for-6 from the field
4 rebounds
3 fouls
-3 +/-

Everyone wants to complain about Tom Thibodeau giving his starters too many minutes please just look at the bench players he has to work with.

Isaiah Hartenstein is a 7-footer who players like a small forward as he constantly gets bullied by the opposing team’s big men. He has no vertical leap and isn’t particularly strong so you just watch him get bodied and held down in the paint only maybe getting a couple of fingers on a loose ball to smack it out of bounds.

Last season, Hartenstein shot 46% from 3 and helped stretch the floor for the Los Angeles Clippers. This season, Hartenstein is shooting 24% from 3 and whenever he chucks up a perimeter shot, it feels like a failed possession.

So he can’t score from 3 and last night, he proved he is garbage scoring from inside so he essentially brings nothing but solid screens when Jalen Brunson is weaving and maneuvering right around the top of the paint.

It’s cool that he has that type of chemistry with Brunson but then he rolls off the screen only to get a pass right by the rim and then airball a floater. Again, he’s a 7-footer who just shotputs floaters up. I’m not 100% certain he can touch the rim.

Jericho Sims isn’t that great but you don’t lose any athleticism when you take Mitchell Robinson off the floor. He actually jumps in the air for rebounds and grabs them at their highest point like you’re taught to do. He can actually finish at the rim because, uh, he can fucking dunk a basketball.

Isaiah Hartenstein can no longer play minutes for a team that’s trying to win NBA games. Out of every player that fans are arguing should and should not be in the rotation, Hartenstein needs to be the first player getting coach’s DNPs.

White Isaiah’s time in New York needs to come to an end. Take those missed layups back to Eugene, Oregon.