Knicks: 3 reasons New York needs Isaiah Hartenstein to become NBA title contenders

Offensive rebounds are key to success in the NBA. They provide an entirely new possession. And they’re inherently more difficult to grab given that defenders are more likely to be in better rebounding position than their offensive counterparts.

Hartenstein is a master on the offensive glass. He has collected the fifth-most offensive rebounds (177) so far this season, and he’s fourth in offensive rebound percentage (13.3%).

Granted, that’s not new for New York. Robinson he remains far and away the best offensive rebounder on a per game basis this season (5.3). But the importance of dominating the offensive glass can’t be understated. And Hartenstein is among the very best at doing so. 

Passing

Hartenstein is also an excellent passer. Just because the center’s assist numbers are down from his career-high doesn’t mean he’s regressed as a passer. He continues to dazzle with his strong court vision and quick decisions.

Sure, Hartenstein’s passing has been under-utilized by the Knicks, but that could change. New York lost an important playmaker when they included Immanuel Quickley in the December trade with the Toronto Raptors that returned Anunoby. And that playmaking wasn’t replaced prior to the trade deadline (which could hurt New York down the stretch). Hartenstein’s passing could benefit the Knicks, if they choose to utilize it.

Having an above-average passer operating out of the post creates entirely new scoring opportunities, and encourages teammates to move without the ball. Even if Hartenstein’s passing isn’t a major part of the Knicks’ offense, his presence on the floor should result in better ball movement and easier buckets.

Defense

Hartenstein is an underrated defender, too. Not that he isn’t seen as a strong defender, but very few people give him all of the credit he deserves.

Opponents are shooting only 59.4% from five feet (or closer) with Hartenstein defending them this season. Furthermore, he possesses the 34th-best defensive rating of all players who have appeared in a game this season, and the ninth-best defensive box plus/mins (which measures the defensive points per 100 possessions a player contributed above a league-average player, translated to an average team). 

Those are impressive stats, and they add up to mean that Hartenstein is an elite defender. He willingly challenges opposing players’ dunks, bangs with big men on the low block, and capably stays with wings when switching to defend them on the perimeter.

There’s very little Hartenstein doesn’t do on the defensive end of the floor, which has allowed New York to continue on without skipping a beat after the Robinson injury.

In total, Hartenstein is a criminally underrated player. But that’s slowly being rectified as his contributions to the Knicks’ success is impossible to ignore. Unfortunately for New York, that means he’ll probably command a significantly larger annual salary than what they signed him for in 2022 (2-year/$16 million). Hartenstein will be an unrestricted free agent following this season.

But the Knicks don’t have the luxury of looking ahead. They are squarely in the middle of a tightly contested playoff race, jockeying for playoff seeding. If they are to secure a top-four seed, and possibly make a deep run in the playoffs, they’ll need everything they can get from Hartenstein.