Isaiah Hartenstein drops a truth bomb on the championship mentality
Fresh off a championship win, The Oklahoma City Thunder are on top standings in the Western Conference with an impressive 9-1 record in their first 10 games. The team is certainly focused, like a center Isaiah Hartenstein shares insight into everyone’s early season mindset.
Speaking to the media, Hartenstein claimed that he and his Thunder teammates did focused on every step in the process. Oklahoma City basically makes sure to take care of the little things and not think so much about defending a championship.
“We’re trying to get in and not skip the steps,” Hartenstein said. “I think when teams go into it thinking too much about defending a championship, that’s kind of when you get derailed. Think for us, it’s knowing that we have to get through the regular season and not skip steps.”
“We try to come in and not skip steps. I think that’s when teams go into it thinking too much about defending the championship, that’s when you get derailed.”
Isaiah Hartenstein on the OKC mentality 🗣
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/vA72cR9EKSZ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 8, 2025
For now, it appears the Thunder are sticking to Isaiah Hartenstein’s word. Oklahoma City is playing incredibly well, as five of its nine wins have come by 17 points or more. Team continuity and consistency guided the club at the start of the 2025-26 season.
Hartenstein, 27, is one of the key players in the Thunder’s rotation. He has played in all 10 games so far and seems to be proving himself as one of the most reliable players on the roster. Isaiah Hartenstein is averaging 30.0 minutes per game, averaging 12.9 points (career high), 11.7 rebounds (career high) and 1.6 steals (career high) while shooting 67.9% from the floor (7.0.4% free throws).
If he continues at this rate, then Isaiah Hartenstein is going to have a career year. He’ll have a chance to add to his stats on Sunday when the Thunder take on the Memphis Grizzlies.
2025-11-08 17:36:00
