How a self-indulgent guilt trip turned Isaiah Hartenstein into OKC's Wembanyama stopper

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Grabbing the offensive rebound, Hartenstein was rewarded for keeping the important possession alive. Catching the ball at the baseline, the 28-year-old flicked up the floater over Wembanyama's reach as it rattled in. The Thunder bet on him to make an impact on this series and he backed up their vote of confidence.

The Oklahoma City Thunder saved their season with a 122-113 Game 2 win over the San Antonio Spurs. They tied this year's epic Western Conference Finals at 1-1.

Hartenstein finished with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 13 rebounds and three assists. He shot 2-of-4 on free throws.

After Game 1's gutpunch, how the Thunder handled Hartenstein was the million-dollar question everybody waited for. Would they stick with the starter after playing just 12 minutes or pivot to single-big lineups? Considering Victor Wembanyama's legendary 41-24 double-double game, most fans wanted to see the latter. But nope. The Thunder stuck to their guns.

And it paid off. Apologizing for his limited playing time, the Thunder decided it's not going to pretzel itself into changing their identity. Hartenstein has been a key piece since he arrived last season. Since then, OKC has turned into a juggernaut. You don't go away with that from a knee-jerk reaction. They decided to put the seven-footer on San Antonio's seven-footer.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault went through self-indulgent guilt over Hartenstein's short playing time in Game 1. He even apologized to the 28-year-old in the aftermath. At a fork in the road, he decided to stick with the group that helped them win an NBA championship last season.

"I grabbed him yesterday to tell him. I didn't start at halftime, so I wanted to grab him yesterday, tell him he was starting, tell him he was starting on Wembanyama so he would go to bed last night with that in mind," Daigneault said about Hartenstein. "I said, 'I didn't feel great about you playing 12 minutes last night.' He said, 'I'll do whatever the team needs to go do.' Even with me almost telling him that I was not loving how that felt. So I thought it was the right thing at the moment. Tonight, I thought the right thing was rolling with him a little longer."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander backed up Daigneault's decision to lean in on Hartenstein. The two have been teammates for two seasons now. He listed off all the intangibles he helps with. No denying that the Thunder are just a different and better team when he's on the floor. He brings elements that nobody else on the roster is capable of.

"He's changed our dynamic since the first game he's played. He's our physicality and our backbone. He's our bruiser, sets screens, rebounds for us, physical. He is obviously very skilled in pass play in the pocket. Makes the next play. He helps us a lot out there," Gilgeous-Alexander said about Hartenstein. "We saw his effectiveness tonight, for sure. Very high stage, very high stakes in this game. Coach didn't call his numbers much in the first game. Called it tonight. He just stood up to the challenge."

Daigneault went a step further. He called Hartenstein the perfect modern-day big. If you were going into the science lab to build your own, he'd be the result. His old-school build paired with his playmaking-feel has helped the Thunder go from an up-and-coming team to being at the top of the mountain right now.

"If you listed all the skills you wanted for a modern center, a true center, he checks every box. That’s why I love him," Daigneault said. "The other thing I love about him is that I played him 12 minutes and he doesn't bat an eye. He turns around tonight and plays a great game."

The daring plan worked out — as best as you could hope for, at least. Hartenstein was physical with Wembanyama from the jump. He utilized his size to get at the lanky seven-footer. With just 21 points and 16 shot attempts, he didn't have the same impact that had the entire NBA universe wonder if it was time to crown him as the best player in the world despite just being 22 years old.

What an adjustment the Thunder made. To keep Hartenstein in the starting lineup was a gutsy decision most wouldn't have made. To make him Wembanyama's primary defender? It was a stroke of genius. We'll see how repeatable this formula is, but for one game, you could tell that the physical defensive style bothered the Spurs' best player.

"If you want to play on a great team and want to affect winning, you have to really put your ego aside. It's harder said than done, but I think we have a great culture. Mark does a great job of communicating. I think that's one of his biggest strengths. I think one of the biggest things the NBA coach has to know is how to work with the egos of the team," Hartenstein said. "I think that's something he does better than any coach I've been a part of. So, whatever Mark needs me to do, I'm ready to do. Whether it's play in five minutes, play 48 minutes or set seven million screens. Whatever he needs me to do. I trust him."

Reflecting on his decision to join the Thunder, Hartenstein recalled what Sam Presti pitched to him. Viewed as the biggest outside addition in OKC history, you saw why the seven-footer was highly coveted and has been synonymous with their pure basketball domination. This Game 2 win over the Spurs was the latest example.

"When Sam Presti came to Eugene, Oregon, the first thing he said was, 'I can't promise you minutes, I can't promise you your role, but I can promise you a culture.' What I saw from afar, it's exactly how it is," Hartenstein said. "I think they make it so easy for you to come to work and just focus on basketball."

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: How a self-indulgent guilt trip turned Hartenstein into OKC's Wemby stopper

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