this is part of what originally was a post for go-to-guys.de: http://go-to-guys.de/2015/09/12/isaiah-hartenstein/

2nd highest Usage at 30.2%.

42% of his shots came from beyond the arc (7th highest rate among all players listed either PF or C with significant minutes played) 28% three point shooter, mostly out of pick & pop situations. A fair bunch of tough shots for a disappointing TS% of 49% (even though still somewhat acceptable for a young alent trying to do so much for his team offensively). Unlike some tweeners playing in the frontcourt at this level, Hartenstein has legit big man height at 6’11 with a good frame, length and great hands. However, Hartenstein tries to impact the game from the perimeter, shooting from long distance and driving frequently – probably idolizes Kevin Durant.

Drew a very good amount of free throws considering that he’s rarely played under the rim. Shot a disappointing 53% from the three point line – underwhelming (free throw) shooting result 2nd year in a row at FIBA event which dampens his outlook as a shooting threat as of now.

Shot selection extremely selfish and reckless at times (check first clip shown in video) – seemed to improve on this as the tournament went on.

drives make up a significant amount of how he initiates his offense… still very much a work in progress extremely left hand dominant, doesn’t initiate with his right at all even if he’d have a much easier lane (check first clip in video & graph) powerful first step that gets him going, gets in trouble mid-drive doesn’t generate much momentum driving into the lane which makes his drives surprisingly soft and easy to steer away from the basket given his size. Sometimes stumbles on crucial steps 2-4 and is more concerned with regaining/staying under control instead of gaining momentum and gathering the ball to go up strong. tramples around instead of taking strong steps towards the basket first step allows an advantage going 1 on 1 against set defenders, yet he barely gets to the rim as he’s edged out of direct lanes to the hoop mid-drive – thus, finishes wild hooks and pull-ups from a distance. Doesn’t initiate contact bumping defenders before making a move to the basket. much better results versus closeouts and short drives going from inside the perimeter – effective pump fake here which might not last. might be a chicken or egg thing – is foot speed or ball handling the problem? First step & solid lateral movement defensively hint at his handling. Didn’t show much as a big who can run pick and rolls in this tournament – doesn’t look like he can run transition coast to coast as easily as some ‘point forwards’. Some solid athletic attributes (agile, strong and ridicolously quick hands) yet doesn’t blow away with all-around bouncy athelticism, springiness. Flashes of good vision and ball movement stationary and on the move – if he feels like passing (15% AST%). Might be a small sample size issue, but most potential assist passes inside the zone were deflected or stolen. When driving, Hartenstein could do a much better job finding open shooters and bigs lurking around the basket.



As a face-up big, Hartenstein didn’t see traditional inside big situations much.

Showed a very limited arsenal of moves on post-ups, likes to take it out a few steps to shoot turnaround pull-ups instead of using his size to overwhelm. He lacks strength and fails to initiate contact to bump defenders out of position before finishing – as with drives.

Showing very good timing on different type of cuts which wasn’t always taken advantage of by the German team. Moves well around the basket looking for passing angles. Impressive rebounding sprints to the offensive glass – already an absolute pro level rebounder who has a nose for the ball and gets a high amount of contested shots as well, uses strong and quick hands to grab misses out of his reach as well. Statistically one of the very best offensive rebounders in the field, controling the glass with teamamtes Leon Kratzer and Niklas Kiel. Even more impressive given that he had to make an effort crashing from the perimeter into the paint to grab these. – At the pro level, he will likely have to sacrifice some of this for the sake of team transition defense.

Moved well laterally and was able to stick with guards who at this level to contest and sometimes even block their shots. – mostly stuck back befending pick and rolls which was a little bummer as I would have liked to see him attack pnrs a little more aggressively and test his agility there as well.

there is some intrigue with Hartenstein defending positions 3 to 5 but he was a little slow defending when having to help and recover + closeout in help defense which might complicate his ability to defend a fair number of wings at higher levels even though he could look decent 1 on 1.



flashy/conspicous defender whose defender whose actual impact is tought o assess and probably easy to overrate

In stretches, Hartenstein played the 5 position defending the rim.

A threat to collapse to the rim on and block shots on drives as a helper – blocked just one shot per game, had a few more which were taken away due to (questionable foul calls) – generally seems to foul too easily trying to go for quick, strong actions instead of hanging with offensive players patiently and react to them.

one of just five players with STL% (4.7%) and BLK% (3.3%) above 3%. 7th highest STL% in the whole tournament (2.7 per game)

Mentality notes

There was a minor incident with Hartenstein and his coach, Alan Ibrahimagic. Hartenstein is being subbed out after a driving turnover. As the camera cuts away from the sidelines, it seems as if Hartenstein refuses to exchange high-fives with Richard Freudenberg who is about to sub in. Coach Ibrahimagic appears to drag Hartenstein back onto the sidelines to have Hartenstein and Freudenberg make up for the bonding action. Ibrahimagic calls a timeout immediately and appears to rip into Hartenstein. It’s unclear whether that’s due to Hartenstein’s driving turnover, his refusal to bond after being subbed out or him seemingly move away unfocused as Ibrahimagic talks in the huddle with the rest of the team listening:

This might be much ado about nothing. Ibrahimagic had a very restraint demeanor throughout the tournament unlike some coaches at this level who gesticulate wildly and get loud frequently. Don’t interpret too much into this. With his somewhat selfish shot selection, his mentality might be something to keep in the back of one’s head however.

Outlook

The combination of size, agility and pereimter skills which he flashes ocassionally make Hartenstein a very interesting prospect of rare profile. Furthermore, he’s a modern prospect and could potentially fill the needs of the NBA’s changing game as we know now as well as be fit for some of the gentle experiments the NBA has been experiecing for a recent time. Thus, it’s not surprising Hartenstein being considered as a lottery pick by several respected draft experts.

The path Hartenstein has taken is a gutsy one as you simply won’t find many prospects realistically trying to become the player he’s aspiring to be. At times, he doesn’t seem to have a very good feeling for his limitations but it’s also encouraging to see him stretch his skillset beyond the usual role characterizations prospects of his size and stature fall into – and for Germany’s basketball program, it’sprobably important.

The blueprint Hartenstein has drawn to become a future success story at the higher levels is fairly obvious looking at 17 year old Isaiah. It’s also a bold gamble which could boost him to become a very special player if he’s able to go through a smooth, maybe slightly above average development curve free of trouble.

Zooming into the parts that make up Hartenstein’s skillset, it’s obvious that there’s still a lot of work ahead of him. In his path, there could be several pitfalls which entail the danger of his skillset not rounding out enough and stalling because one of the offensive aspects he has to work on won’t develop.

Thus, it’s crucial for Hartenstein to invest time into the right areas to maximize his potential as a face-up big. In order to have an impactful driving game at the higher levels, Hartenstein doesn’t only have to work on his ball handling and stability to enable himself driving into lanes with more momentum and using his length to make these type of attacks a weapon. Also, Hartenstein definitely needs to become a respectable shooter to make sure that he’ll merely be effective occassionaly against closeouts. His first step should give him an advantage at higher levels but it still remains somewhat questionable whether he can blow by high level defenders with ease, and he won’t have much of an advantage anyway if defenses figure out that he’s a pseudo-spacer.

He should also develop a better understanding for how he manipulates and bends defenses to sense when and where teammates get open. His touch around the rim was underwhelming in this tournament but this might be a small sample size issue. Anyway, with the flashes he’s shown in passing, his size and developing handling skills, Hartenstein should be a more impactful player if the threat of him driving and kicking was as much a reality as of him driving and trying to finish. Against a rotating, scrambling offense, Hartenstein could have an edge on the offensive glass in these situations using better positioning with his refined rebounding instincts and tools.

Watching Hartenstein play – especially watching highlights only – you can absolutely see how the young German could fill into today’s NBA. As a best case scenario, he could move down to the perimeter offensive and help generate high degrees of spacing. Simultaneously, he could try play inside positions defensively and become a tall de facto small ball player & give small ball lineups issues with his length. Furthermore, he could be a guinea pig for coaches experimenting with versatile all-tall-lineups who could switch through matchups even though his mediocre results closing out in help defense might clash with a faster game and the wider NBA three point arc.

There’s a big BUT: This best case profile is extremely rare in reality. Hartenstein should avoid pressing to become this player at all cost as he might develop an uneven game that will flash with potential ocassionally but won’t allow for a mature, steady impact at the high pro level – should one of the things he has to work on not develop. I’m usually not a fan of forcing all bigs to work in the paint if that’s simply not their thing but Hartenstein could benefit from putting a stronger emphasis on his inside play in coming years as well as this might provide a safety net should the perimeter skillset not be well rounded enough. His base and length give him a solid foundation to work inside.

As a last note, Hartenstein is a very intriguing player but as of now it seems as if his intrigue is coming from virtual potential one can sense when seeing him play, and not from potential combined actual performance. As one of the most prominent talents in Europe, it was slightly disappointing to see him go at the same pace, using the same tricks game to game without dominating longer stretches. He did come from the bench mostly which might have put him out of rhythm as this is something he’s certainly not used to playing for his father at the JBBL and NBBL in Quackenbrück where the offense was built around him.

On the cusp of turning pro and a legit NBA prospect, Hartenstein will have to evade a few traps. Going to Zalgiris should be a good challenge that comes with a good amount of scrutiny in a country that is a lot more interested in basketball than his native one.