Cavs: 2 realistic expectations for Isaiah Hartenstein in 2021-22

Realistic expectation #2 for Hartenstein with the Cavs in 2021-22: His passing is impactful and we see more flashes of perimeter shooting

The second realistic expectation for Hartenstein for Cleveland in 2021-22 is that we’ll see him continue to be an impactful passer in a secondary playmaking sense. He had 5.0 assists per-36 minutes in those 16 games with the Cavaliers, and even with that being a small sample size, what he showcased in that way then shouldn’t be discounted.

The passing abilities were on display for Hartenstein in the G League with the Vipers, but with the Cavs, those from him in NBA competition and with him being on a new team, I thought those were especially meaningful.

There are times when he does force things a bit to get dishes to cutters, sure, albeit his vision and timing led to plenty of good feeds to other Cavs, and he did demonstrate nice feel when doubled leading to passes to Dean Wade, Sexton and others.

I’d imagine the impactful passing from him will again be seen next season, and he should be more comfortable as he gets more time with other Cavaliers at that.

Moreover, to reiterate, while we could potentially see Hartenstein sign elsewhere this upcoming offseason, I would imagine that with how the Cavs gave him plenty of meaningful PT game-to-game, he’d likely be back. That should be how things go from the Cavaliers’ perspective, too.

And hopefully that ends up playing out, from a depth/1-2 punch standpoint with Allen.