Isaiah Hartenstein, the integral center for the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, sat down with Gilbert Arenas on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast and discussed who he feels the toughest players to defend are in the NBA. Both names he mentioned have won MVPs.
Hartenstein has had a dramatic rise in his NBA career, honing his craft under Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks after signing a bargain two-year, $16 million free agent deal with them.
In New York, Hartenstein’s value skyrocketed as he became a beast on the offensive glass and a strong rim protector under Thibodeau’s guidance. He was also integral in forming a pick-and-roll partnership with Jalen Brunson. His game has since gone from strength to strength with the Thunder.
Signing for a massive three-year, $87 million deal with the Thunder and winning a championship in his first year in OKC, Hartenstein averaged a double-double of 11.2 points and 10.7 rebounds on 58% shooting, taking his game to the next level with the world champions.
NBA Champion Center Isaiah Hartenstein Mentions His Two Toughest Matchups – And Both Have Won MVPs
Hartenstein was a guest on “Gil’s Arena” and talked about his toughest matchups.
When asked who is his toughest matchup in the NBA, Hartenstein started by naming the player often considered the best current all-around player in the NBA, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić. The three-time MVP averaged an absurd triple-double last season.
The second player he mentioned is monstrous scoring center Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. Embiid won the MVP in 2022-23, averaging 33.1 points per game and 10.2 rebounds that season. He’s unstoppable when healthy, an increasing question mark lately.
Hartenstein broke down why they are the toughest to defend, pointing out Jokić’s elite passing, but Embiid’s sheer dominance one-on-one.
“It depends,” Hartenstein said. “Nikola Jokić is just hard to guard because he’s so good at passing, but probably just like just straight one-on-one, I think when Joel was healthy, I think Joel Embiid, just straight one-on-one. It’s hard because you can’t really be physical with him because he’s good at drawing fouls, so strong and can just do it from all angles.
“So, it’s probably between Joel and Jokić, but just like they’re kind of different in those aspects,” the German-American center said. “Joel is kind of more into straight ones, and Jokić is like you can’t really play team defense on him, because he can pass so well. So, I think it’s two different guys, but at the end of the day, those are probably the two hardest I would probably had to guard.”
His observations align with the statistics. According to StatMuse, Embiid averages 31.1 points and 11.1 rebounds on 52% shooting against Hartenstein.
Meanwhile, Jokić has averaged 27.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 7.8 assists in 18 games against Hartenstein. Most recently, Jokić put up a computer game statline where Denver beat OKC 140-127 back in March, where Jokić was 15-of-20 from the field and finished with 35 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists.
It just goes to show that even one of the best centers in the league can look overmatched against Embiid and Jokić, which speaks volumes to their elite status.
