The New York Knicks have been without Mitchell Robinson, who injured his ankle in early December, so the last thing fans wanted to see was an injured Isaiah Hartenstein. The backup center missed the previous three games before the All-Star break with a sore Achilles but was available for Thursday's game in Philadelphia.
Before the contest, Tom Thibodeau said Hartenstein would be on a minutes restriction, which was understandable. The center finished the night with two rebounds and one steal in 11 minutes. Afterward, he expressed that he was "a little frustrated" over not hitting his planned 21-minute mark.
"It felt good. It was a little frustrating not to get to my minute requirement. So that was a little frustration,” Hartenstein said. “But still day by day. It felt good. So got to keep building. And hopefully next game, I hit my minute mark."Isaiah Hartenstein, via New York Post
Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims played most of the minutes at the five, with the former pouring in 18 points and 11 rebounds in 38 minutes. Hartenstein's minutes should go up on Saturday night when the Knicks host the Celtics, the top team in the East.
In other news, Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony gave Leon Rose his props on the "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast.
Carmelo Anthony: "What Leon did w/ Knicks is impressive…He came in…ship was sinking…sunk…He wiped all that s**t out––front office, players…cleaned house. Imma bring in a cultural guy: Thibs…hold you accountable…ain't gonna get no sleep…Now you get to mold your team the… pic.twitter.com/InbGSr5ZgA
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 22, 2024
Rose was Melo's agent, so the two already share a relationship. Still, it's nice to see a former Knicks star praise the direction that the organization is headed in. New York's front office is a lot different than the one that Melo had when he was with the Knicks. We're looking at you, Phil Jackson!
More Knicks news
- On the latest episode of the "Roommates Show" with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, the point guard said his father heckled him during the All-Star Three-Point Contest.
- Julius Randle and OG Anunoby last played on Jan. 27 against the Heat, but both are optimistic that they'll be able to return before the end of the season.
NBA news
- In Denver's 130-110 win over Washington on Thursday, Nikola Jokic finished with 21 points, 19 rebounds, and 15 assists. The two-time MVP has now recorded a triple-double against every team in the NBA not named the Nuggets.
- On Thursday, Jordan Poole came off the bench for the Wizards for the first time. He finished with 18 points (4-of-17) in 30 minutes. He's averaging 15.7 points per game, down from the 20.4 points he averaged with the Warriors last season.