Isaiah Hartenstein setting himself up for a big payday with Knicks after a terrific playoff performance

Isaiah Hartenstein didn’t begin the season as the New York Knicks starting center. Since he’s taken over the role though, as Mitchell Robinson struggled with injuries, he has emerged as one of the more underrated centers in the NBA. In his most recent performance against the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, he tied a Knicks franchise record with 12 offensive rebounds. With his contract set to expire after the postseason, he’s lining himself up for a big payday. 

The Knicks big man seems to be a great fit with the roster and for New York’s head coach Tom Thibodeau. His physicality inside the paint on both ends of the floor has played a major role in getting his squad just one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Knicks can’t let Isaiah Hartenstein walk away in the offseason 

No matter what happens in the remainder of the postseason for the Knicks, they have a big offseason ahead. Building off what they did this season is essential. Letting Hartenstein walk away in free agency would be a huge mistake after what he showed he could provide. He's finishing up a two-year, $19 million deal he signed with the Knicks in 2022, but it's conceivable that he could command $14 million or more per year on his next contract.

He’s not going to score a ton of points, but he does so many little things right. The 26-year-old can move the ball at the top of the key better than most bigs, he knocks down his free throws and has a not-too-shabby floater when close to the rim. Hartenstein creates many second-chance opportunities for the Knicks on top of all that. In the postseason, he leads the entire NBA with 43 offensive rebounds. Second is Nikola Jokic, with 32.

Including the regular season and playoffs, Hartenstein has averaged 12.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks when he’s played more than 30 minutes a game. He played in 75/82 games this season and played in all 82 the season prior. With the Knicks, he got an opportunity to showcase his abilities more than ever before. He’s become the Knicks' most reliable big man out of nowhere. 

With Jalen Brunson emerging as a superstar alongside two-time All-NBA forward Julius Randle this season and Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart proving to be great role players, the Knicks have a strong core to build off. Hartenstein is perfect with those guys. His floor spacing ability gives Randle and Brunson more opportunities to get crafty in the paint than someone like Mitchell Robinson. 

New York has some big decisions to make after this playoff run. Not only is Hartenstein’s contract up, but so is OG Anunoby’s. You can make a case to bring back both, but that would likely keep them away from adding a third start alongside Brunson and Randle. At the same time, both those players are perfect fits with the current Knicks core. Although Anunoby is great, Hartenstein’s role would be a lot tougher to replace. The 26-year-old center is driving his value up this postseason, and proving to be a must-re-sign for New York in the offseason.