Catching his breath on the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein sat next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the final minutes of the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s 132-101 win over the Sacramento Kings. The 2025 NBA Cup group victory looked eerily similar to another guard-center duo that haunted that fanbase in the 2000s.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points in three quarters. It was business as usual. That’s been his signature performance this season. He’s now sat out in four of the last five fourth quarters as the Thunder ran away on the scoreboard.
But for one night, Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t the headliner. It was Hartenstein. He enjoyed a career performance of 33 points and 19 rebounds. Without Domantas Sabonis, the Kings had no answer for the seven-footer’s paint presence. He rolled to the basket for alley-oops, was a putback machine and his patented floater was money.
After a breakout season last year, Hartenstein looks like he’ll one-up himself. He’s been a double-double machine since he joined OKC. One of the best centers in the league, expect some team to eventually back up the Brinks trucks for him. You have to hope it’s the Thunder, but we’ll see.
In his second season playing with Gilgeous-Alexander, Hartenstein has noticed one trait that stands out for him compared to the other NBA superstars he’s played with.
As a reminder, Hartenstein was a career journeyman until he finally cemented his spot in the NBA. That meant he played with NBA superstars like Nikola Jokic, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Jalen Brunson over the years. So he has his fair share of experience to make his two cents worth more than the average player.
“What makes him really special as a superstar is that he has no ego. There’s no ego involved,” Hartenstein said about Gilgeous-Alexander. “So for us it’s really easy to follow him. He puts in a lot of work. He puts the team first at all times, and I think that’s what makes him an amazing leader.”
That’s quite the compliment for Gilgeous-Alexander. You kinda have to leave your ego at the door to win at a high level and bring home a Larry O’Brien trophy. It also probably helps that he had an unconventional route to superstardom. He went from a decent prospect to a 30-point machine in just the last four seasons.
That type of mindset has rewarded Gilgeous-Alexander with an MVP trophy and a championship ring. He hopes to replicate that success this season. There’s a reason why the Thunder are the heavy favorite to repeat as NBA champions. Everything starts and stops with him. Hartenstein can attest to that.