After enjoying staying relatively healthy over the last couple of seasons, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been bit several times by the injury bug during preseason.
The latest bite broke through the skin -- Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a fractured hand in OKC's preseason win over the Denver Nuggets. He will be re-evaluated in five-to-six weeks.
This means the 26-year-old's Thunder debut has been put on pause. He will most at least the first month of the 2024-25 regular season. This is a major bummer for the Thunder, who've looked promising when Hartenstein has been on the floor through the preseason.
Hartenstein will be a top-six rotation player for the Thunder. Regardless if he starts, expect him to log 20-plus minutes when he returns. This leaves a sizable gap in minutes in the meantime. Someone who could benefit from his absence is Jaylin Williams.
The 22-year-old has missed the entire preseason with a hamstring strain but has been active in practice over the last week. He is set to be re-evaluated after the preseason ends. If Williams returns by the season opener, he could see an influx of minutes at the center spot.
It wouldn't be anything new for Williams. He was OKC's pseudo-backup big over the last two seasons. He played 90 percent of his minutes last season at the center spot. In 92 minutes paired with Chet Holmgren last season, the duo had a 4.5 net rating. With Hartenstein's arrival, Williams will be relied less upon to be the backup big. Instead, he could play his more natural position of power forward.
But now that Hartenstein is out, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault can break the emergency glass and play Williams at the backup center spot with some assurance that the lineup works considering the last two seasons.
It's unfortunate luck to see Hartenstein suffer the multi-week injury. But in terms of severity, it's on the lighter side. Broken hands are usually easy to return from with no real adjustment period needed. If he only misses the first month, he'd still have a chance to play 60-plus games this season.
The Thunder enter the season with rich depth. In scenarios like these, it shows up in the clutch -- like using your backup tire when one of the four drives over a nail. It's a luxury to see OKC roster a competent third-string center who'd be a backup on most other teams in the league.