Feb. 2, 2026, 2:16 p.m. CT
As soon as he landed on his closeout, Isaiah Hartenstein knew something was up. He jogged down the sidelines to test out his calf. Eventually, he left for the locker room. Just a few days after Christmas, he received some late coal in his stockings.
Hartenstein re-aggravated his soleus strain. For the second time this season, he sustained a calf injury. Those are scary words to read if you follow the NBA at any capacity. The consequences can be dire if mistreated or rushed back. Ask Tyrese Haliburton.
That’s why it shouldn’t be a shocker to see Hartenstein miss a month. He was out for 16 consecutive games as he returned from his second soleus strain. He returned just in time to face the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.
If the Thunder want to go back-to-back, they’ll need Hartenstein. That’s why it’s smart to slowplay his return. He was in a minutes restriction and came off the bench in OKC’s bad loss to Minnesota. He started in their resume win over Denver.
Before the Thunder picked up a confidence-boost win over the Nuggets, Hartenstein opened up about his grueling one-month rehab process. Before he sustained the first calf strain, he was playing some of his best basketball and was an advanced analytics darling.
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“We just made sure I was healthy. We didn’t want to rush it. I think that’s a mixture between training staff, myself and just kinda being on the same page,” Hartenstein said. “As a player, you always want to push back and try to get back as fast as possible, but I think they’re great at what they do. You just have to listen to that.”
The Thunder have continued to juggle injuries throughout their roster. That was the case last year, too — but not to this degree. Jalen Williams has been limited this season with his wrist surgery recovery and now a hamstring strain. Several players have popped up on the injury report with muscle injuries that could hinder them if not dealt with properly.
Even during this recent slump, the Thunder can confidently believe they’re the team to beat — barring health. That includes Hartenstein, who had a career year last season and was a prominent starter for an NBA champion.
“You can only simulate so much playing against coaches. With something like this, you don’t play that much before. Now it’s about getting back into rhythm,” Hartenstein said. “Getting back to playing like how I was playing before I got hurt. I think it’ll come eventually. We just have to get the rust off and go from there.”