The Knicks suffered a major blow on both ends of the court last month when they lost starting center Mitchell Robinson to a likely season-ending ankle injury.
The oft-injured big man was emerging as one of the top centers in the league during his career-best start to the year, reeling in 10.3 rebounds per game and playing terrific defense.
His absence has certainly been felt on the defensive end of late, but Isaiah Hartenstein has been doing everything he can to soften the blow.
The 25-year-old former second-round draft pick has stepped up in a huge way for Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks, and he’s been taking full advantage of the opportunity in front of him.
“He’s played phenomenal,” Jalen Brunson said. “With Mitch out, his minutes have increased and he’s been playing great. We’re all happy for him, but we all knew that this is what he’s capable of.”
“He’s really been amazing,” Julius Randle added. “I’ve been impressed with the way he’s been protecting the rim, to be honest. We’re used to Mitch doing that, but he’s been a monster doing that now.”
Hartenstein certainly played like a monster in Wednesday night’s win over the Bulls, owning the glass against big man Andre Drummond by reeling in a career-high 20 rebounds and tying his career-best with five blocks.
He’s now averaging 7.8 points, 1.8 blocks, and an even 10 rebounds in 13 games (eight starts) since Robinson’s injury.
While many outside the organization were skeptical about Hartenstein stepping into Robinson’s place, the big man knew deep down he’s always been capable of handling this type of role -- he just needed the opportunity.
And now that he’s getting that chance, he’s just looking to continue improving each day.
“I've always had confidence that I could play this type of role, but I was never really in that situation,” Hartenstein said. “I’ve finished games before, but now I’m playing 30+ minutes. It’s something I can keep building on.
“We miss Mitch a lot. I’ll be happy when he comes back so we can have that one-two punch that we did have because that was something special. But for now, I just have to keep going and keep building on this.”