The Cleveland Cavaliers may have pulled off quite the heist at the NBA trade deadline. As a true 7-footer, Isaiah Hartenstein has brought some much needed size to a Cavaliers roster that had lacked a true backup center, at least one that could realistically stick around.
Included as part of the Cavs’ only deadline day deal as more of a throw-in, Hartenstein has already started to have an impact on the court. In three games with the team he’s managed to accumulate averages of 8.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 21.0 minutes per contest.
Prior to joining the Cavs, Hartenstein was buried on the Denver Nuggets depth chart behind the likes of a perennial All-NBAer Nikola Jokic, 4x All-Star Paul Millsap, and JaMychal Green. With that type of talent in from of him, he rarely saw the floor for more than 11-12 minutes a game.
Hartenstein just needed an opportunity to showcase his rather impressive skillset on a team that could provide him with ample time to develop away from the pressure and spotlight of a potential NBA title contender.
Enter the Cavaliers, a team that could possibly offer him a defined role in which he could be more than just another big body to throw out there so that a player like Jokic could take a quick breather.
The Cavs began the year flush with big men. Andre Drummond, Larry Nance Jr., JaVale McGee, Thon Maker, Dean Wade, and Marques Bolden (via two-way deal) all were listed on the opening day roster. That’s without even mentioning the recently-returned Kevin Love, who only suited up for the team’s initial second game before going on an extended absence due to injury.
Of the players mentioned above, only Love, Nance Jr. and Wade remain on the roster. The team also acquired center Jarrett Allen and small/power forward Taurean Prince in the early-season blockbuster that was James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.
Allen (Concussion) and Nance Jr. (illness) have missed the Cavs’ last few games. This has opened the door for Hartenstein to play significant minutes in an effort to prove he belongs within the rotation perhaps taking over the role that McGee vacated via the trade.
In his first three games with the Cavs, Hartenstein has displayed three promising attributes, of which we’ll highlight here.
The first has to do with him showing promising passing abilities.
#1: Impressive vision at his size, which could really help the Cavs looking onward
Hartenstein’s Cavalier debut was quite the barn burner. Normally a loss of the blowout variety via the score of 114-75 would be cause for concern, but there was in fact a bright side, annihilation aside. The second-year man dished out a game-high seven assists. What’s more, Hartenstein didn’t force the issue and only committed one turnover.
Although he didn’t record more than one assist in the next two games, his ability to keep the rock moving and work as a secondary facilitator out of the post is now evident.
With Nance Jr. missing time, the Cleveland Cavaliers should certainly benefit from having another big man that can replicate a similar skill that he possesses in the short term. While Hartenstein may never be the type of skilled big that his former teammate Jokic was, he may have picked up a few things from him in his limited time with the Nuggets.
From there, Hartenstein has shown some encouraging signs in terms of stretch big qualities.
#2: The new Cavs big has shown some game that extends beyond the paint
Hartenstein has already connected on two-for-four of his attempts from beyond the three-point line. That’s an interesting development considering that prior to joining the Cavs he hadn’t attempted one all season long.
That’s not to say that he’ll turn into the next Nikola Vucevic or Karl-Anthony Towns as he is a career 26.7 percent shooter from range at the NBA level, but the mere fact that he’s willing to take those shots is a positive. That’s especially the case for a team that gets very little in terms of spacing, in the perimeter viability sense (as opposed to vertical spacing from Allen) from it’s center position.
With a roster full of young and eager players ready to see some meaningful game action, Hartenstein has got to add to his offensive arsenal if he’s to continue to receive rotation minutes when the Cleveland Cavaliers return to full strength whenever that may be.
And with so many mouths to feed at the power forward and center positions respectively (Love, Allen, Nance Jr., Wade, Prince and two-way guy Lamar Stevens in smaller lineups, and now Hartenstein) he must find ways to set himself apart from the suddenly “crowded” frontcourt.
If Hartenstein can take and convert enough of his attempts to keep the defense honest then he will render himself a must play option off the bench and he could seemingly catapult himself into Cleveland’s future moving forward.
And lastly, the rebounding/defensive element has been another positive development in regards to what we’ve seen initially from Hartenstein.
#3: Solid rebounding/defense off the Cavs bench
An oft overlooked part of what JaVale McGee brought to the table in his short stint as a Cavalier was his ability to stabilize and often anchor a defense in short spurts. In only 15.2 minutes an outing, McGee provided 1.2 blocks which would translate to 2.9 per-36 minutes. He also chipped in 5.2 rebounds a contest and never complained about his role within the organization.
Hartenstein for what it’s worth in his short time here has put up 1.3 blocks and has already had a 14 rebound game in just 26 minutes. He has been nothing short of a bargain thus far considering he’s only on the books for an average of $1.6 million over this season and if his player option for the 2021-22 season is taken into consideration, he’d be set to be on the books for $1.8 million.
If he can supply somewhere in the neighborhood of 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and a block per game, he will see the floor on a nightly basis.
Granted, the 22-year-old’s fouling does need to be cleaned up, but more experience could very well help him manage that, and him having only one foul versus the Miami Heat was a positive step in that realm.
Overview
Three games is an extremely small sample size and there is every bit the chance that Hartenstein doesn’t stick in Cleveland considering that the team isn’t a finished product and is trending towards another top five pick.
But with that said, he is off to an encouraging start with his new club and has a much clearer path to meaningful playing time than he ever did in Denver, and previously to begin his career with the Houston Rockets. The opportunity is right in front of him.
All he must do is seize it and prove himself to be the Cleveland Cavaliers backup center of the future. He will almost certainly never challenge Jarrett Allen for the starting role, but being the next man off the bench isn’t a bad position to be in.
Here’s to hoping that Hartenstein has found himself a home for the foreseeable future.