Thunder agree to contract with former bartender after Isaiah Hartenstein injury
10/19/2024 12:41 PM
After Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a hand fracture, forcing him to miss the beginning of the regular season, free-agent forward/center Alex Reese agreed to a non-guaranteed with the Thunder. After going undrafted in 2021, Reese, an Alabama product who spent a year away from the game bartending before playing overseas in the Luxembourg Basketball League in 2022, spent last season in the G League before agreeing to a deal with Oklahoma City, per ESPN’s Sham Charania.
“In wake of Isaiah Hartenstein injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder are signing C/F Alex Reese to a non-guaranteed standard deal, agent Billy Davis told ESPN. Reese quit basketball in 2021 after 4 years at Alabama, was a bartender for a year, then played abroad and now has NBA deal,” Charania reported.
He played for the Rip City Remix, the Portland Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate, averaging 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 17.2 minutes and addresses Mark Daigneault’s thinning Thunder frontcourt ahead of 2024-25. Reese was named to their summer league roster before the Trail Blazers waived him on October 16.
Isaiah Hartenstein to miss the start of season with hand fracture
Isaiah Hartenstein sustained a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand during the second half of the Thunder’s preseason game against the Nuggets this week. Hartenstein will be reevaluated in five to six weeks, meaning the Thunder could be without the newly acquired center for up to two months.
Hartenstein, a massive offseason addition for the Thunder, is an ideal two-way fit in head coach Mark Daigneault’s system as a scrappy rebounding defensive big with a smooth inside touch and rim-protectability. In addition to complementing Thunder’s promising second-year big man, Chet Holmgren, Hartenstein can often create second-chance opportunities, a facet of the game that hurt OKC in its Western Conference semifinal series against the Dallas Mavericks.
Hartenstein started in 49 of his 75 games with the Knicks last season, averaging 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
The post Thunder agree to contract with former bartender after Isaiah Hartenstein injury appeared first on ClutchPoints.
