Isaiah Hartenstein was selected by the Houston Rockets in the second round in 2017. Now the German is in the Summer League for the second time and knows how to convince. The 20-year-old wants to recommend himself to the Rockets for the coming season.
Even before the start of the Summer League there were positive signals from Houston. Rockets assistant Brett Gunning found warm words for the German in conversation with the Houston Chronicle. “He looks like another player. “Last year he was a little overwhelmed, but now he understands the system better.”
This was also evident in the first two games on the field. Hartenstein scored an average of 12 points and 9 rebounds, a considerable increase on the previous year, when the German only scored 4.4 points at 36.3 per cent from the field per game.
In addition, there were now a total of 5 blocks, which also show that Hartenstein has gained defensively. Against the Indiana Pacers, the Big even managed to keep the fast guard in front of him several times. Mike D’Antoni and Co. would have liked to have seen this, as the Rockets coach relies on a defense based almost exclusively on switching.
“I’m trying to improve my defense and get used to the switching that is practiced here,” Hartenstein told SPOX & DAZN. If he succeeds, it could already work with the roster spot in Houston. They still don’t agree with Clint Capela, Nene isn’t getting any younger and the youngsters Zhou Qi or Chinanu Onuaku haven’t t torn out any trees in the Summer League yet.
“I play where the organization thinks I should,” Hartenstein said modestly. “It doesn’t matter if I play in the G-League or for the Rockets. “I’m still very young and Houston will make the right decision about what’s best for my development.”
This development could also be seen several times during the attack. Hartenstein was increasingly used on the pear, where he was forced to make decisions. Mostly it was dribble handoffs for the guards, for which the German could then effectively set blocks. “The game now has a different speed for me,” Hartenstein told the Houston Chronicle. “I’ve got used to the pace, know where to go and how to block.”
His skills as a roll man should be decisive if Hartenstein wants to gain a foothold in the Rockets, especially considering that Capela also developed into an above-average centre through these skills. “He can roll fast and finish at the basket,” analysed Hartenstein’s G-League coach Matt Brase. “He’s also an elitist rebounder.”
Last season the No.46 pick from 2017 played exclusively for the Rockets G-League team. At the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the German international scored 9.5 points and 6.6 rebounds on average in just under 19 minutes and sunk 57.1 per cent out of the field.