Isaiah Hartenstein stepped up in a big way for the New York Knicks in the absence of Mitchell Robinson, who went down with a season-ending ankle injury.
Hartenstein has averaged 10.3 rebounds, 8.4 points, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks in 33.1 minutes since Robinson left. But Hartenstein’s playing time has increased to over 35 minutes in the last four wins, which raises some concerns about the Knicks’ center depth in a potentially deep playoff series.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps suggested a trade candidate for the Knicks as a stopgap measure to balance out their already powerful lineup post-OG Anunoby trade.
“The guy that I think would be really interesting for the Knicks is… Daniel Gafford,” Bontemps said on the “Hoop Collective” podcast . “And if the [Washington] Wizards try to move Gafford, you pair him with Isaiah Hartenstein [and] you go back to what was one of the real strengths of the Knicks before Mitchell Robinson got hurt, which means you got 48 minutes above-average or really good center play. Whether it’s Precious Achiuwa Chua or Jericho Sims, they don’t have the same thing now, even though Isaiah Hartenstein has been fantastic since taking the starting job for Mitchell Robinson.