Isaiah Hartenstein has left the Knicks, signing a three-year, $87 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency. His departure has weakened the Knicks’ center rotation, which Hollinger believes could impact the Knicks’ ability to compete.
“I wouldn’t consider them the best defensive team in the NBA without Isaiah Hartenstein and with Robinson, who is injury-prone, as their only rotation-level center,” Hollinger told Katz.
Without Hartenstein, the Knicks have Achiuwa, Jericho Sims and rookie Ariel Hukporti, who is on a two-way deal, as options to replace Robinson, which could theoretically work in the regular season but could haunt them in the playoffs.
The Knicks will sorely miss the two-man Jalen Brunson-Hartenstein, who helped them secure the No. 2 seed in the East after Randle suffered a shoulder injury in late January. But the hope is that a healthy Randle will be a much more potent pick-and-roll partner for Brunson.
On defense, the Knicks are banking on the return of OG Anunoby and the addition of Mikal Bridges to reduce the pressure on the opposition to the basket, lessening the impact of Hartenstein losing his rim protection.