Donte DiVincenzo played only one season with Isaiah Hartenstein, but the two quickly found respect for each other.
This offseason, the New York Knicks made more than their fair share of roster moves in order to cement their status as contenders in the NBA Finals race. They traded for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns and are comfortably in third place in the Eastern Conference, although it came at the cost of some fan favorites.
In order to add Towns, the Knicks had to part ways with sharpshooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, who has recently found his footing and the Minnesota Timberwolves are surging towards the playoffs.
The Knicks also failed to re-sign free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein, who broke out last season after Mitchell Robinson suffered an ankle injury. Hartenstein ended up playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season and has continued to improve as a critical role player.
While DiVincenzo and Hartenstein have taken their talents and refined them on their new teams, they have the ultimate respect for one another even though they are no longer teammates.
While the core of the Knicks last season during their push to the playoffs was Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and OG Anunoby, both DiVincenzo and Hartenstein played massive, if not overlooked, roles.
The two teammates were hardly stars, but they managed to bring out the best in one another.
Last season, Hartenstein and DiVincenzo posted a +7.1 net rating, good for the second-best two-man lineup on the Knicks ending the season, excluding ones with All-Stars.
Only Hartenstein and Josh Hart did better, likely due to the rebounding prowess added by Hart, although DiVincenzo is a much better shooter, and Hartenstein was able to make the most of playing with a sniper.
“You can go back and look at a lot of my stuff last year, a lot came off a DHO with Isaiah, a lot of my cuts was off of him, he really wants to pass the ball,” praised DiVincenzo on The Young Man and the Three podcast.
When thinking about NBA role players, hard-nosed defenders like Alex Caruso and Derrick White come to mind. Maybe a microwave scorer like Jordan Clarkson is a popular choice or even an enforcer like Draymond Green.
Looking at the stat sheet, Hartenstein’s season averages of 11.4 points and 11.1 rebounds are solid, but Ivica Zubac puts up better stats and makes $17 million less than Hartenstein will this season.
However, his teammates know that he impacts the game far beyond the box score.
“He gets to exactly where he wants to get to, he knows his game, he knows his comfort zone,” listed DiVincenzo.
“What he allows everybody else to do around him, it allows everybody else to be aggressive, use him as a screener, roller, rebounder, and he’s just playing free basketball.”
On top of that, Hartenstein’s knack for creating second possessions only elevates his team, as he is quick to pass an offensive rebounder out to an open shooter.
“Isaiah will go to the offensive rebound every single time, and that wears on a team when you’re going every single time, it just wears on you,” finished DiVincenzo.
After being a second-round pick, Hartenstein spent his first five seasons playing under 20 minutes a game, but he worked his way into signing a three-year $87 million contract with the favorites to win the title.
